Energy dissipation in atomic force microscopy and atomic loss processes.
Atomic scale dissipation is of great interest in nanomechanics and atomic manipulation. We present dissipation measurements with a linearized, ultra-small amplitude atomic force microscope which is capable of measuring dissipation at chosen, fixed separations. We show that the dynamic dissipation in the noncontact regime is of the order of a few 10-100 meV per cycle. This dissipation is likely due to the motion of a bistable atomic defect in the tip-surface region. In the contact regime we observe dc hysteresis associated with nanoscale plasticity. We find the hysteretic energy loss to be 1 order of magnitude higher for a silicon surface than for copper.
Hoffmann
P M
PM
Department of Physics, Wayne State University, 666 W. Hancock, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. hoffmann@physics.wayne.edu
Jeffery
S
S
Pethica
J B
JB
Ozer
H O
HO
Oral
A
A