Visualization of thermally fluctuating surface structure in noncontact atomic-force microscopy and tip effects on fluctuation: theoretical study of Si(111)-(square root[3] x square root[3])-Ag surface.
We investigated noncontact atomic-force microscopy (NC-AFM) images of a thermally fluctuating surface structure together with tip effects based on the first-principles electronic state calculation. As an example the Si(111)-(square root[3] x square root[3])-Ag (square root[3]-Ag) surface is studied. We have succeeded in theoretically visualizing the thermal fluctuation of the square root[3]-Ag surface at room temperature, and in reproducing the observed NC-AFM image for the first time. Further, the pinning effect of the thermal fluctuation of the square root[3]-Ag surface by the tip is clarified, which shows a novel ability of NC-AFM to modify the surface structure.
Sasaki
Naruo
N
Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. naru@cello.mm.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Watanabe
Satoshi
S
Tsukada
Masaru
M