Scanning tunneling microscopy as a tool to study surface roughness of sputtered thin films

1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 4258-4261 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Schönenberger ◽  
S. F. Alvarado ◽  
C. Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy

Roughness measurements of nonlinear optical polymer films by scanning tunneling microscopy

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 22-23
Author(s):  
I. H. Musselman ◽  
R.-T. Chen ◽  
P. E. Russell
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Nonlinear Optical ◽  
Polymer Surface ◽  
Light Extinction ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Silicon Substrates ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Optical Polymer ◽  
Total Light

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to characterize the surface roughness of nonlinear optical (NLO) polymers. A review of STM of polymer surfaces is included in this volume. The NLO polymers are instrumental in the development of electrooptical waveguide devices, the most fundamental of which is the modulator. The most common modulator design is the Mach Zehnder interferometer, in which the input light is split into two legs and then recombined into a common output within the two dimensional waveguide. A π phase retardation, resulting in total light extinction at the output of the interferometer, can be achieved by changing the refractive index of one leg with respect to the other using the electrooptic effect. For best device performance, it is essential that the NLO polymer exhibit minimal surface roughness in order to reduce light scattering. Scanning tunneling microscopy, with its high lateral and vertical resolution, is capable of quantifying the NLO polymer surface roughness induced by processing. Results are presented below in which STM was used to measure the surface roughness of films produced by spin-coating NLO-active polymers onto silicon substrates.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy Investigation of Organic Tetracyanoquinodimethane Thin Films

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1942-1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Gao ◽  
H. X. Zhang ◽  
Z. Q. Xue ◽  
S. J. Pang
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Atomic Force Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Pyrolytic Graphite ◽  
Film Surface ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Tunneling Microscopy ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Microscopy Investigation

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigation of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and the related C60-TCNQ thin films is presented. Periodic molecular chains of the TCNQ on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrates were imaged, which demonstrated that the crystalline (001) plane was parallel to the substrate. For the C60-TCNQ thin films, we found that there were grains on the film surface. STM images within the grain revealed that the well-ordered rows and terraces, and the parallel rows in different grains were generally not in the same orientation. Moreover, the grain boundary was also observed. In addition, AFM was employed to modify the organic TCNQ film surface for the application of this type of materials to information recording and storage at the nanometer scale. The nanometer holes were successfully created on the TCNQ thin film by the AFM.

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