In situ thickness measurements of ultra-thin multilayer polymer films by atomic force microscopy

A method for direct in situ thickness measurements of ultra-thin soft polym er films is presented in which an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip is used to create a furrow in the film, whereby the thickness is determined by sca nning the sample across the furrow with the AFM. The sample does not need t o be moved since the scratching and the measurements are performed with the same apparatus. This 'furrow method' is applied to layer-by-layer polymer/ polyelectrolyte ultra-thin films onto hydrophilic glass and silicon wafer s ubstrates. This procedure is made possible because the polymeric film is le ss stiff than the substrates and the silicon tip. Results for 10-12-bilayer films are comparable to those obtained from profilometry, whose accuracy i s only reasonable for films with more than ten bilayers. Taken together, th e AFM and profilometer results show that film thickness increases linearly with the number of bilayers. Furthermore, the film thickness does not seem to depend on the substrate used but only on the number of bilayers deposite d.