Adhesion measuring method

Abstract

An adhesion measuring apparatus includes a measuring device for measuring a Force-Curve at each of multiple measuring points on a sample surface using a cantilever provided at its distal end with a probe which is made of a material to be formed on the sample surface, and a distribution image forming device for calculating adhesion between a material making up the sample surface and the material to be formed on the sample surface from an output of the measuring device, and forming an image of adhesion distribution on the sample surface. An adhesion measuring method includes the steps of adjusting the spacing between a probe which is provided at the distal end of a cantilever and made of a material to be formed on a sample surface and the sample surface to measure a Force-Curve at each of multiple measuring points on the sample surface, calculating adhesion between a material making up the sample surface and the material to be formed on the sample surface at each of the measuring points from the result of measuring the Force-Curve, and forming an image of adhesion distribution on the sample surface from the adhesion calculated for each of the measuring points. With the present adhesion measuring apparatus and method, the condition of the sample surface can be accurately determined at an atomic level.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.