Beilstein J. Nanotechnol.2010,1, 163–171, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.20
with individual atoms or a small part of a crystal lattice on the Ångstrom scale. It was found that regular, repeatable stick-slip behaviour of a contacting highest point (asperity) over the lattice of the other surface forms the very basis of the frictional processes as previously described [2][3]. To
physically describe the stick-slip behaviour observed, the theories of Prandtl [4] and Tomlinson [5] were used [6][7]. This Prandtl–Tomlinson model has proven to be remarkably effective in describing atomic-scale friction.
Further research on atomic-scale friction has resulted in a wealth of information on
and wear problems [12].
The question is now how to describe friction on the larger scale of actual MEMS devices, which pair micrometer features and nanometer-scale surface roughness with nano- to micro-Newton forces. This friction is characterized by irregular, but repeatable, stick-slip motion. Can
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Figure 1:
Schematic top view of the MEMS tribometer for studying microscale friction [19]. Several slider types h...
Beilstein J. Nanotechnol.2010,1, 155–157, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.18
studied in great detail, where the main mechanism is related to atomic instabilities, which lead to the characteristic stickslip behaviour. The loading and velocitiy dependence were interpreted in terms of a thermally activated Prandtl–Tomlinson-model [5][6]. The transition into the superlubricity regime
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Figure 1:
Scanning probe microscopy: A large familiy of microscopes, which have in common that they use local...