Finite element analysis on crosstalk effect of dual-axis micro-mechanical probe for friction force microscope

A new structure of micro-probe for friction force microscope (FFM) was presented, which has a double cantilever beam for the detection of the friction force and a torsion beam for that of the normal force. It is expected to overcome mechanical crosstalk by friction and normal forces, which causes a significant error in quantification of local friction forces for conventional FFM probes. However, the crosstalk of the dual-axis probe has not been investigated enough. In this study, the mechanical crosstalk of dual-axis and conventional I- and V-type probes, which is relations between displacements and the applied forces, was investigated using finite element method (FEM). This simulation calculated the displacement for the applied force when another force was applied in the perpendicular to the applied one. The mechanical crosstalk of the dual-axis probe was only varied 0.001%, though that of V- and I-type probes was varied drastically. This means that the mechanical crosstalk of the dual-axis probe is significantly smaller than that of the conventional probes. It is clarified that the dual-axis probe enables us to quantify frictional phenomena accurately.