Abstract
Nano adhesion and friction between a Sj$_3$N$_4$ AFM tip and thin silver films were experimentally studied. Tests were performed to measure the nano adhesion and friction in both AFM(atomic force microscope) and LFM(lateral force microscope) modes in various ranges of normal load. Thin silver films deposited by IBAD (ion beam assisted deposition) on Si-wafer (100) and Si-wafer of different surface roughness were used. Results showed that nano adhesion and friction decreased as the surface roughness increased. When the Si surfaces were coated by pure silver, the adhesion and friction decreased. But the adhesion and friction were not affected by the thickness of IBAD silver coating. As the normal force increased, the adhesion forces of bare Si-wafer and IBAD silver coating film remained constant, but the friction forces increased linearly. Test results suggested that the friction was mainly governed by the adhesion as long as the normal load was low.
