A new atomic force microscopy based technique for studying nanoscale friction at high sliding velocities

Abstract

Tribological studies on the micro/nanoscale conducted using an atomic force microscope (AFM) have been limited to low sliding velocities (< 250 µm s−1) due to inherent instrument limitations. Studies of tribological properties of materials, coatings and lubricants that find applications in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems and magnetic head-media in magnetic storage devices that operate at high sliding velocities have thus been rendered inadequate. We have developed a new technique to study nanotribological properties at high sliding velocities (up to 10 mm s−1) by modifying the commercial AFM set-up. A custom calibrated nanopositioning piezo stage is used for mounting samples and scanning is achieved by providing a triangular input voltage pulse. A capacitive sensor feedback control system is employed to ensure a constant velocity profile during scanning. Friction data are obtained by processing the AFM laser photo-diode signals using a high sampling rate data acquisition card. The utility of the modified set-up for nanoscale friction studies at high sliding velocities is demonstrated using results obtained from various tests performed to study the effect of scan size, rest time, acceleration and velocity on the frictional force for single crystal silicon (100) with native oxide.