The use of atomic force microscopy to assess the quality of cleaning and tribometric properties of a silicon wafer surface

Abstract

Differences in the values of adhesive forces of interaction between the probe tip of an atomic force microscope and the cleaned surfaces of silicon wafers during their treatment with isopropyl alcohol and distilled water were investigated experimentally. It was shown that the presence of water molecules on the surface of the substrates leads to a significant (approximately 5 times) change in the value of these forces. It was found that the use of AFM allows the relative magnitude of friction forces in small areas of silicon wafer surfaces to be estimated.

Keywords

• atomic force microscopy
• silicon wafers
• tribometric properties