Wear Durability and Adhesion Evaluation Methods for Ultrathin Overcoat Films by Atomic Force Microscopy

Shigeru UMEMURA
Shigeru HIRONO
Yasuko ANDOH
Reizo KANEKO

Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics   Vol.E81-C    No.3    pp.337-342
Publication Date: 1998/03/25
Online ISSN: 
DOI: 
Print ISSN: 0916-8516
Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Issue on Electromechanical Devices and their Surface Science)
Category: 
Keyword: 
wear,  adhesion,  thin film,  microtribology,  AFM,  

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Summary: 
A method has been developed for evaluating the wear durability and adhesion characteristics of ultrathin overcoat films. The relationship between the wear depth and applied load or between the wear depth and number of scanning-scratch cycles is used in AFM nanowear tests. Inherent wear durability, which is independent of adhesion or substrate hardness, can be evaluated from the relationship between wear depth and applied load at relatively low loads, and the adhesion characteristics can be evaluated from the relationship at relatively high loads. Wear durability can be evaluated with a small number of scanning-scratch cycles and adhesion with a large number of cycles.