A QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS OF SURFACE DEFORMATION BY STICK SLIP ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY/

This article presents a quantitative determination of static deformati on at a nanometer scale of a surface caused by the tip of an atomic fo rce microscope. An analysis of cantilever displacements while in conta ct with the surface leads to a directly measurable dimensionless param eter which is well sensitive to surface deformation. The method is spe cifically aimed at stick/slip friction measurements like on layered co mpounds, like TiS2 or on a relatively rigid surface of an ionic crysta l, in this study NaCl [100]. Stick/slip friction images offer a possib ility to investigate details of strain-dependent deformation. The obse rved deformation in TiS2 could play an important role in the occurrenc e of strong stick/slip friction in this and other layered materials. ( C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.