title: Modeling noncontact atomic force microscopy resolution on corrugated surfaces.
abstract: Key developments in NC-AFM have generally involved atomically flat crystalline surfaces. However, many surfaces of technological interest are not atomically flat. We discuss the experimental difficulties in obtaining high-resolution images of rough surfaces, with amorphous SiO(2) as a specific case. We develop a quasi-1-D minimal model for noncontact atomic force microscopy, based on van der Waals interactions between a spherical tip and the surface, explicitly accounting for the corrugated substrate (modeled as a sinusoid). The model results show an attenuation of the topographic contours by ~30% for tip distances within 5 Å of the surface. Results also indicate a deviation from the Hamaker force law for a sphere interacting with a flat surface.
authors.affiliation: Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Burson
authors.forename: Mahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Cullen