Two different types of experimental methods have beeen developed for measuring lateral
interaction forces between two solid surfaces for nano- and micro-meter scale contacts. One is the
type of direct measurement methods which typically utilize AFM instrumentations. In the direct
lateral force measurements some size-scale effects are commonly observed due to the effects of
adhesion and surface roughness. A recent development of a fine AFM lateral force calibration
method, a diamagnetic lateral force calibrator, has made it possible to study such size-scale effects
systematically. The other type is the field projection method which requires a high resolution
measurement of a deformation field near the edge of a contact. For such measurements a
comprehensive map of deformation measurement techniques is introduced in a domain of spatial
and strain resolutions. This technique provides a way of assessing the non-uniform distribution of
the surface interaction forces for nano and micro-meter scale contacts.
A single-vector force calibration method featuring the modern design of experiments
