We fabricated supersmooth probes for use in pin-on-disk sliding tests by applying gas cluster ion beam irradiation to glass convex\r\nlenses. In the fabrication process, various changes were made to the irradiation conditions; these included one-step irradiation\r\nof Ar clusters or two-step irradiation of Ar and N2 clusters, with or without Ar cluster-assisted tough carbon deposition prior\r\nto N2 irradiation, and the application of various ion doses onto the surface. We successfully obtained probes with a centerline\r\naveraged surface roughness that ranged widely from 1.08 to 4.30 nm. Using these probes, we measured the friction forces exerted\r\non magnetic disks coated with a molecularly thin lubricant film. Perfluoropolyether lubricant films with different numbers of\r\nhydroxyl end groups were compared, and our results indicated that the friction force increases as the surface roughness of the pin\r\ndecreases and that increases as the number of hydroxyl end groups increases.
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