Morphological analysis of stainless steel scale like surface morphology using STM and AFM

摘要

A combined atomic force microscopy(AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy(STM) investi- gation of stainless steel like surface morphology formed either in electropolishing bath or in HNO_3 medium is reported. A new numerical technique using the Nanoscope III software is propose. The dimension, slope and orientation of scales can be easily determined. Moreover, grain boundaries structure and prob- able oxides present in the upper part of the film can be deduced.