Effects on the chip formation of nanomachined surface using atomic force microscopy

Nanomachining experiments were conducted using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the influences of different machined conditions on chip formation and material removal. Chip behaviors were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), to study the effects of applied load, scan cycles and scanning direction on nanomachining of Al and Cu samples. Results indicate that the chips produced at low applied load are of breaker-chip, diffused outside and inside the nanomachining mark. As the applied load increases, the debris appears to be of continuous ribbon-like cutting-type. The influence of the tip faced forward during nanomachining process on chip behavior and surface characterization was also studied. Multiple nanomachining was also conducted on Al surface. The experimental results show that increasing the number of machining cycles affects the chip behaviors. In addition, the revolution of chip behaviors to applied loads is more obvious on Cu surface than Al due to different mechanical properties. Finally, an increase of surface roughness with the number and size of cutting-type particles can be concluded to help to develop better understanding of AFM nanomachining technique. The way to improve the surface quality of nanomachining was also given.