Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Contact Process in AFM/FFM Surface Observation

In order to clarify the contact mechanism between specimen surface and probe tip in the surface observation by the AFM (atomic force microscope) or the FFM (friction force microscope), several molecular dynamics simulations have been performed. In the simulation, a 3-dimensional simulation model is proposed where the specimen and the probe are assumed to consist of mono-crystal line copper and a carbon atom respectively and the effect of cantilever stiffness is also taken into considered. The surface observation process on a well-defined Cu{100} is simulated. The influences of cantilever stiffness on the reactive force images and the behavior of probe tip were evaluated. As a resuIt, several phenomena similar to those observed by the actual surface observation experiment, such as double-slip behavior and dispersion in the stick-slip wave period were observed.