OBSERVATION OF VICKERS IMPRINTS BY SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has achieved a rapid progress since first developed, and its application field is expanding into surface analysis including the use as a profilometer. We present observations of low load imprints of hardness tester using a STM-SEM (scanning electron microscopy) combined system.1The samples tested were n-type silicon wafers, and the loads ranged from 2.94 to 19.6 mN. Result of STM observation showed that the imprints were more clearly observable under STM than under SEM or optical microscope and more accurate measurements of imprints were possible. © 1990, American Vacuum Society. All rights reserved.