Atomic resolution atomic force microscopy of graphite and the ‘‘native oxide’’ on silicon

Abstract

An atomic force microscope (AFM) can image surfaces of conductors, insulators, and even organic materials. Images of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite show atomic structure with a corrugation height of 0.03 nm. Images of the ‘‘native oxide’’ layer grown in ambient pressure on a (111) facet on a (100) silicon wafer show steps. Images of the native oxide layer on a (111) silicon wafer show features 0.6 nm apart and aligned with the silicon substrate. The images shown here were obtained with an instrument that can also operate as a scanning tunneling microscope (STM); it is an AFM/STM.