Geometric artefact suppressed surface potential measurements

Lee, Minhwan and Lee, Wonyoung and Prinz, Fritz B. (2006) Geometric artefact suppressed surface potential measurements. Nanotechnology, 17 (15). pp. 3728-3733. ISSN 0957-4484

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Abstract

Due to the finite scanning probe microscopy (SPM) tip radius and the resulting geometric convolution between the tip and the sample surface, nano-resolution surface potential (SP) or electric force measurement (EFM) cannot be free from topographic artefacts. For conventional Kelvin probe microscopy (KPM), only the first harmonic component of the tip oscillation signal (either oscillation amplitude for amplitude-modulated AM-KPM or frequency shift for frequency-modulated FM-KPM) induced by the applied ac voltage is typically used. However, the first harmonic signal depends not only on tip–sample potential difference, but also on the capacitance gradient (AM-KPM) or the second-order gradient (FM-KPM), the main cause of topographical artefacts. Since the second-order harmonic component is proportional only to the capacitance gradient or second-order gradient, we are able to extract true potential difference signals, free of geometric artefacts, by dividing the first- and second-order harmonics. Surface potential mapping on an equipotential surface verifies that this alternative method significantly reduces the magnitude of topological artefacts. In addition, adoption of the proposed imaging method reduces the dependence of the measured potential on the tip–sample separation by more than an order of magnitude.

Item Type: Article
InterNano Taxonomy: Nanoscale Objects and Nanostructured Materials > Nanoparticles > Nanocrystals
Nanomanufacturing Characterization Techniques > Charge Transport Characterization
Nanomanufacturing Characterization Techniques > Scanning Probe Microscopy
Collections: Nanomanufacturing Research Collection > Nanomanufacturing Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers > Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing
Depositing User: Moureen Kemei
Date Deposited: 26 Mar 2010 14:27
Last Modified: 30 Sep 2014 15:30
URI: http://eprints.internano.org/id/eprint/370

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