Force–Distance Spectroscopy and Morphology Statistics Studies of Composite Zirconia–Silica Thin Films
Composite optical thin-film materials have received a significant amount of interest in order to relieve the material constraints on refractive indices as well as reducing the number of layers required in optical coating design. Amongst others binary zirconia–silica composite thin films have attracted considerable attentions due to their several favourable opto-mechanical properties. In this research work the elastic and morphological properties of this binary composite thin film system deposited through reactive electron beam co-deposition process have been investigated using force–distance microscopy and statistical analyses technique. The evolution of composition dependent elastic and morphological statistics parameters like jump-into-contact, jump-off-contact, stiffness, RMS roughness, entropy, redundancy, skewness, and kurtosis have been studied in-details and attempts have been made to establish the appropriate interrelationship amongst them. During this investigation it is noticed that morphological statistical parameters have depicted a close relationship with force–distance instabilities parameters with respect to the zirconia–silica mixing compositions. It is also observed that appropriate of admixture of silica in zirconia can lead to morphological quality control from spiky to bumpy or granular type.
Keywords: CODEPOSITION; COMPOSITE FILM; FORCE-DISTANCE MICROSCOPY; OPTICAL COATING; SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY; THIN FILM MORPHOLOGY
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 December 2006
- Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) typically covers atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM, or SNOM) and related technologies. Since its invention in early 1980s, SPM has now been regarded as one of the major driving forces for the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, and the tool of choice in many areas of research. Journal of Scanning Probe Microscopy (JSPM) provides a forum for rapid dissemination of important developments in SPM technology. JSPM offers scientists, engineers and developers timely, peer-reviewed research on SPM science and technology of the highest quality. JSPM publishes original rapid communications, full research papers and timely state-of-the-art reviews (with author's photo and biography) encompassing the fundamental and applied research on SPM in all fields of science, engineering, and medicine.
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