Formation of uniform nanoscale oxide layers assembled by overlapping oxide lines using atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been widely used for creating nanoscale oxide lines on various material surfaces. The assembling technique used for overlapping an array of these oxide lines into a uniform oxide layer is analytically investigated and experimentally verified. The experimental data of the oxide lines induced at different scanning speeds are analytically correlated to provide the basic formula for the assembling technique. The superposition principle is then applied for simulating the assembling process to extract the criteria for assembling a uniform layer. Experiments have been conducted to verify the reliability of the uniformity criteria analytically obtained and the feasibility of the assembling technique developed. Indeed, a uniform oxide layer can be precisely assembled by following the uniformity criteria developed. (C) 2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.3268427]