Observation Of Glass Surfaces At The Nanometre Scale Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic force microscopy permits the imaging of the surface of insulating materials with potentially atomic resolution in the surface plane. If resolution better than 1 nm is not required, this method can be routinely performed and provides a new approach to a wide variety of problems. This paper presents three examples that show how this experiment can bring a new insight to study industrial processes involving glass surfaces: float glass roughness and surface defects; glass cleaning and polishing with cerium oxide; and, tin oxide coatings.