Influence of spring stiffness and anisotropy on stick-slip atomic force microscopy imaging

This paper presents a detailed analysis of high-load friction atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of layered structures in terms of a discrete stick-slip model. It turned out that based on a geometric approach, the characteristics of slip behavior can be linked to the cantilever/sample spring anisotropy. In particular, the use of polar scans is emphasized to analyze and to quantify these characteristics. The measured stiffness as derived from the slip behavior is in correspondence with the stiffness inferred from static friction. It is concluded that the combined stiffness of substrate and cantilever is constant during an AFM scan in a given direction, which supports the simple stick-slip model