Effects of AFM-based nanomachining process on aluminum surface

Surface analysis of nanomachined material is studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). To understand the influence of different machined conditions on surface characterization, several nanomachining experiments are performed. Multiple furrows are conducted on a silicon substrate coated with aluminum films under the four different applied loads, including 4, 8, 12, 16 muN. Results indicate that the average surface roughness and the root-mean-square roughness of nanometer-scale surface are improved after the nanomachining process. It can be seen that a smoother surface is obtained under an applied load of 12 muN, and it implies that the surface roughness of the case is minimum in all tests. The same result can also be seen in the fractal dimension analysis. In addition, the bulge edge effect on the nanomachining process is obvious after several scribing cycles. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.