INFLUENCE OF ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE TIP-SAMPLE INTERACTION ON THE STUDY OF SCALING BEHAVIOR

Images acquired with atomic force microscopy are based on tip-sample i nteraction. It is shown that using scanning probe techniques for deter mining scaling parameters of a surface leads to an underestimate of th e actual scaling dimension, due to the dilation of tip and surface. Ho w much we underestimate the scaling exponent depends on the shape and aspect ratio of the tip, the actual fractal dimension of the surface, and its lateral-vertical ratio. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics .