AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Thin Films Wednesday Sessions
       Session TF-WeM

Paper TF-WeM8
Surface Modification of Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@ Probes for Adhesion and Wear Reduction

Wednesday, November 2, 2005, 10:40 am, Room 306

Session: Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Thin Films
Presenter: Z. Tao, The Ohio State University
Authors: Z. Tao, The Ohio State University
B. Bhushan, The Ohio State University
Correspondent: Click to Email
Tip wear of Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@ probes used for atomic force microscope (AFM) can result in increase of tip radius, thus reducing the image resolution and introducing artifacts. Adhesion between the tip surface and sample is another source of image artifacts. In order to reduce adhesion and wear, perfluoropolyether (Z-TETRAOL) and Fluorinert@super TM@ will be deposited on the Si@sub 3@N@sub 4@ probe. The adhesion, friction, and wear of the uncoated/coated tips will be investigated. The humidity effects on the adhesion, friction, and wear of the uncoated/coated tips will be investigated as well. The influence of the coating on the image resolution will be discussed.