Experimental Equipment for Interfacial Force and Friction Measurements of Micro Scale Samples N. K. MYSHKIN Metal-Polymer Research Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Gomel, Belarus N. D. SPENCER 1 , A. Ya. GRIGORIEV 2 , A.M. DUBRAVIN 2 , O. Yu. KOMKOV 2 , S. TOSATTI 1 1 Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH-Zurich, Switzerland 2 Metal-Polymer Research Institute NASB, Gomel, Belarus SUMMARY Wide spread of miniature mechanical systems such as micro scale actuators and sensors attracts attention of many researchers to the field of tribology and surface properties of these mechanical systems. Experiments have shown that there is a scale factor that doesn’t allow one to apply directly results obtained for macroscopic tribosystems to nano/micro systems. So, the studies in microtribology call for use adequate experimental equipment. The paper describes the design and test data when using laboratory equipment for measuring adhesion forces and friction properties of micro systems. The set of developed devices consisted of adhesion meter, rotary and reciprocating microtribometers. The adhesion meter allows us to measure force-distance dependence between test samples in the range of the 10 to 10000 μN on the distance 1 to 10000 nm. The tribometers operate in the range of normal load from 1mN to 1N, velocity – from 0.1 to 1mm/s and allow to measure friction force and acoustic emission. The data on measurements of adhesion and friction forces of DDPO 4 , ODPO 4 , and OTS SAMs, as well as DLC coatings on silicon substrates are discussed. 1 INTRODUCTION An analysis of modern tendencies for measurement techniques reveals that the dimensional range in technologies and research has shifted to micro- and nanometer scale [1]. High precision rubbing parts and other mated members for precise mechanics (e.g., magnetic recording devices, high-precision tools, microrobotic systems, etc.) are produced with very smooth surfaces and operate at low loads and speeds. Experiments have shown that there is a scale factor that doesn’t allow one to apply directly results obtained for macroscopic tribosystems to micro/nano systems. It is commonly accepted that main reason of observed phenomena is explained in terms of changing role and grade of influence of different factors of contact interaction on the process of friction and wear in micro/nano scale (Fig.1). With decreasing scale of tribosystem the adhesion and interfacial interactions became a dominant factor, which define their behavior. For example, it is known that some difficulties related to failure of MEMS (micro- electro-mechanical systems) resulted mainly from adhesion leading to sticktion of parts [2]. Scale Factors Friction Pattern Wear Mode Macro Micro Nano 10 -3 10 -8 10 -9 m Adhesion Topography Surface Forces Heating Fatique Erosion Abrasion Adhesive wear Mechanical Properties Deformation Figure 1: Combination of factors effecting friction andwear In the present time most of the experimental support of investigations in the field of micro- and nanotribology is provided by such devices as atomic force microscope (AFM), lateral force microscope (LFM), and surface force apparatus (SFA) [3]. But these devices are intended for investigation of surfaces in nanoscale