Determination of the easy axes of small ferromagnetic precipitates in a bulk material by combined magnetic force microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction techniques.

A method to determine the magnetic easy axes of micro- and nanoscopic ferromagnetic precipitates embedded in a bulk material is proposed and applied to globular cementite (Fe3C) embedded in a ferrite matrix. The method combines magnetic force microscopy (MFM) with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) measurements. Magnetic domain structures in globular and in lamellar cementite precipitates in unalloyed pearlitic steels were imaged using MFM. The domain structure of the precipitates was analyzed in dependency of their size, shape and crystallographic orientation. It was found that the magnetic moments of the cementite precipitates are highly geared to their crystalline axes. The combined MFM and EBSD studies allow the conclusion that the cementite easy direction of magnetization is the long [010] axis. For fine lamellae cementite the determination of their crystallographic orientations using electron diffraction techniques is very difficult. With the previous knowledge of the behavior of the domain structure in globular cementite, the crystalline orientations of the fine lamellae cementite can be estimated by simply observing the magnetic microstructures and the topographic profiles.

Evaluation of the contact resonance frequencies in atomic force microscopy as a method for surface characterisation (invited).

The combination of ultrasound with atomic force microscopy (AFM) opens the high lateral resolution of scanning probe techniques in the nanometer range to ultrasonics. One possible method is to observe the resonance frequencies of the AFM sensors under different tip-sample interaction conditions. AFM sensors can be regarded as small flexible beams. Their lowest flexural and torsional resonance frequencies are usually found to be in a range between several kHz and several MHz depending on their exact geometrical shape. When the sensor tip is in a repulsive elastic contact with a sample surface, the local indentation modulus can be determined by the contact resonance technique. Contact resonances in the ultrasonic frequency range can also be used to improve the image contrast in other dynamic techniques as, for example, in the so-called piezo-mode. Here, an alternating electric field is applied between a conducting cantilever and a piezoelectric sample. Via the inverse piezoelectric effect, the sample surface is set into vibration. This excitation is localised around the contact area formed by the sensor tip and the sample surface. We show applications of the contact resonance technique to piezoelectric ceramics.

Assessment of the adhesion quality of fusion-welded silicon wafers with nonlinear ultrasound

Diffusion bonded silicon wafers are employed in the semiconductor industry. Their bonding quality must be monitored by a nondestructive testing technique. We present an ultrasonic technique allowing us to monitor the quality of the diffusion bond by measuring the anharmonic content of a transmitted ultrasonic wave. The anharmonicity is caused by weak bonds and manifests itself at high dynamic strains exerted by the ultrasonic wave. The source of nonlinearity is located in the rim of delaminations in the interface.

Quantitative determination of contact stiffness using atomic force acoustic microscopy

Atomic force acoustic microscopy is a near-field technique which combines the ability of ultrasonics to image elastic properties with the high lateral resolution of scanning probe microscopes. We present a technique to measure the contact stiffness and the Young's modulus of sample surfaces quantitatively, with a resolution of approximately 20 nm, exploiting the contact resonance frequencies of standard cantilevers used in atomic force microscopy. The Young's modulus of nanocrystalline ferrite films has been measured as a function of oxidation temperature. Furthermore, images showing the domain structure of piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramics have been taken.