TIP ARTIFACTS IN ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE IMAGING OF THIN-FILM SURFACES

We report a study of tip artifacts in atomic force microscope (AFM) im ages of thin film surfaces. Specifically, a troublesome artifact that occurs when an AFM tip images surface features with a radius of curvat ure less than the apex of the tip. These artifacts are not easily dete cted, since the affected AFM images are similar to those expected for a thin film with a columnar microstructure. In a study of 23 thin film s, we found that for a significant fraction, the AFM image was affecte d by this type of tip artifact. In the worst cases, the AFM images con sisted almost entirely of images of the AFM tip. We discuss a simple t echnique to determine the extent of these tip artifacts.