抄録
Lubrication technologies using nanomenter-thick lubricant films must be established to ensure the durability and reliability of micro mechanical systems such as MEMS and hard disk drives. When the lubricated surfaces make contact with each other, a liquid bridge must be formed and grow at around the contact region and it affects the friction and stiction characteristics between moving mechanical parts. However, the growth process of the liquid bridge has not been clarified. We developed original method that utilizes the differential interference contrast microscopy to observe the contact area between the solid surface and lubricant film. The area increases corresponding to the growth of liquid bridge. Based on the experimental results, we proposed simple analytical model that can explain the growth rate of the liquid bridge.
