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Journal ArticleDOI

On the stability of a tip and flat at very small separations

John B. Pethica, +1 more
- 01 Jul 1988 - 
- Vol. 6, Iss: 4, pp 2490-2494
TLDR
In this article, it was shown that at sufficiently small separations, ∼1−2 A, the tip and flat surfaces in the scanning tunneling microscope or atomic force microscope (AFM) will jump together, irrespective of apparatus construction.
Abstract
It is shown that at sufficiently small separations, ∼1–2 A, the tip and flat surfaces in the scanning tunneling microscope or atomic force microscope (AFM) will jump together, irrespective of apparatus construction. Both continuum and atomistic calculations are presented. We discuss the consequences of the resulting forbidden separations for the behavior of the vacuum barrier as it is quenched, and for the resolution of the AFM.

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Journal ArticleDOI

Force measurements with the atomic force microscope: Technique, interpretation and applications

TL;DR: The atomic force microscope (AFM) is not only used to image the topography of solid surfaces at high resolution but also to measure force-versus-distance curves as discussed by the authors, which provide valuable information on local material properties such as elasticity, hardness, Hamaker constant, adhesion and surface charge densities.
Journal ArticleDOI

Force-distance curves by atomic force microscopy

TL;DR: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) force-distance curves have become a fundamental tool in several fields of research, such as surface science, materials engineering, biochemistry and biology.
Journal ArticleDOI

Quantum properties of atomic-sized conductors

TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the results in the context of related developments, including Andreev reflection, shot noise, conductance quantization and dynamical Coulomb blockade.
Journal ArticleDOI

Long-range Finnis–Sinclair potentials

TL;DR: Finnis-Sinclair potentials were developed for computer simulations in which van der Waals type interactions between well separated atomic clusters are as important as the description of metallic bonding at short range as mentioned in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI

Scratching the Surface: Fundamental Investigations of Tribology with Atomic Force Microscopy.

TL;DR: The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that AFM is capable of producing atomic-scale knowledge, and to focus upon some of the contributions of the AFM to nanotribology.
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