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PUBLICATIONS

Measurement of the Gold-Gold Bond Rupture Force at 4 K in a Single-Atom Chain Using Photon-Momentum-Based Force Calibration

Published

Author(s)

Douglas T. Smith, Jon R. Pratt

Abstract

We present instrumentation and methodology for simultaneously measuring force and displacement at the atomic scale at 4 K. The technique, which uses a macroscopic cantilever as a force sensor and high-resolution, high-stability fiber-optic interferometers for displacement measurement, is particularly well-suited to making accurate, traceable measurements of force and displacement in nanometer- and atomic-scale mechanical deformation experiments. The technique emphasizes accurate co-location of force and displacement measurement and measures cantilever stiffness at the contact point in situ at 4 K using photon momentum. We present preliminary results of measurements made of the force required to rupture a single atomic bond in a gold single-atom chain formed between a gold flat and a gold tip. Finally, we discuss the possible use of the gold-gold bond rupture force as an intrinsic force calibration value for forces near 1 nN.
Citation
Measurement Science & Technology
Volume
26
Pub Type
Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/26/2/025202

Keywords

atomic junctions, cantilever, force calibration, interferometry, nanomechanics
Nanometrology

Citation

Smith, D. and Pratt, J. (2014), Measurement of the Gold-Gold Bond Rupture Force at 4 K in a Single-Atom Chain Using Photon-Momentum-Based Force Calibration, Measurement Science & Technology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/26/2/025202 (Accessed October 24, 2025)

Issues

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Created December 22, 2014, Updated November 10, 2018
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