TIP ARTIFACTS IN ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE IMAGING OF ION-BOMBARDED NANOSTRUCTURES ON GERMANIUM SURFACES

In this communication, we present a study of tip artifacts in atomic f orce microscope images of nanometer-scale cellular structures created on germanium surfaces by ion bombardment. It is demonstrated that the appearance of a columnar/granular morphology is due to severe image di stortion when the tip size is comparable with the mean cell/hole diame ter. These tip artifacts can often be deconvoluted by inverting the im age and the lateral extension of the cell/hole can be reproduced with reasonable accuracy. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.