Journal Article

PreJuSER-52209

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Atomic-scale sharpening of silicon tips in non-contact atomic force microscopy

Caciuc, V. ; Hölscher, H. ; Blügel, S.FZJ* ; Fuchs, H.

2006
APS College Park, Md.

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/1446  doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.016101

Abstract: The atomic-scale stability of clean silicon tips used in noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) is simulated by ab initio calculations based on density functional theory. The tip structures are modeled by silicon clusters with [111] and [001] termination. For the often assumed Si(111)-type tip we observe the sharpening of the initially blunt tip via short-range chemical forces during the first approach and retraction cycle. The structural changes corresponding to this intrinsic process are irreversible and lead to stable NC-AFM imaging conditions. In opposition to the picture used in literature, the Si(001)-type tip does not exhibit the so-called "two-dangling bond" feature as a bulklike termination suggests.

Keyword(s): J

Note: Record converted from VDB: 12.11.2012

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Theorie I (IFF-TH-I)
2. Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance - Fundamentals of Future Information Technology (JARA-FIT)
3. Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance - Simulation Sciences (JARA-SIM)

Research Program(s):

1. Kondensierte Materie (P54)

Appears in the scientific report 2006
Notes: This version is available at the following Publisher URL: http://prl.aps.org

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