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Publication
Physical Review Letters
Paper
Effect of tip profile on atomic-force microscope images: A model study
Abstract
Adopting the empirical silicon interatomic potential of Stillinger and Weber, we investigate the effect of the tip profile on the atomic-force microscope images for a prototype system, Si(001)-(2×1), and conclude that the tip profile has a profound effect on the observations. We also study relaxation of the surface under the influence of the tip using a many-body energy minimization procedure and find that the force exerted by the tip should be less than 10-9 N for the atomic-force microscope to be a nondestructive tool. © 1988 The American Physical Society.