Surface track formation on mica surfaces due to grazing incidence 20.2 MeVC-60 ions: a comparative study employing shadow-replica electron microscopy, tapping-mode and phase-imaging scanning force microscopy

We present results from a study of surface tracks on mica, induced by 20.2- MeV C-60 (fullerene) ions at a grazing angle of incidence. We employed both shadow-replica electron microscopy (SR-EM) and tapping-mode scanning force microscopy (TM-SFM). The lateral dimensions of the surface tracks were mea sured consistently by both methods, whereas the vertical dimensions were ov erestimated by a factor of approximate to 1.8 by TM-SFM relative to SR-EM, as previously observed in studies of surface tracks on gypsum (Kolesnikov e t al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B 122 (1997) 255). Within the inherent spread of the data, height measurements by TM-SFM did not depend on tip size. Whi le varying the instrumental operation parameters of TM-SFM, both irreversib le and reversible apparent deformations of the surface defects were observe d. These changes depended on the sharpness of the probe tip employed. Final ly, sudden changes in apparent height of the surface tracks occurred under some conditions. By imaging the phase angle between cantilever drive and re sponse signals, large phase perturbations were observed to accompany the ap parent height changes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.