Scanning force microscopy of latent heavy-ion tracks in ultrahigh vacuum

In many solids, energetic heavy ions of typically several MeV/u produce long, narrow damage trails, commonly named latent tracks. These tracks represent objects of very limited size which are particularly suited for studies of material properties such as friction or elasticity on a nanometer scale. We present scanning force microscopy studies of latent tracks on the original surface of mica, i.e., without cleaving the sample prior to data acquisition. The microscope was operated in ultrahigh vacuum. The ion-impacted zones appear as small hillocks with an increased friction. By deconvoluting the simultaneously acquired topographic and so-called lateral-force images, it is possible to separate the purely frictional from the topographic contributions. In addition, wear processes were observed for higher loading forces of the sensor.