Tip−Sample Interactions in Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy: Quantitative Measurement of the Local Surface Potential

2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (44) ◽  
pp. 17368-17377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Liscio ◽  
Vincenzo Palermo ◽  
Klaus Müllen ◽  
Paolo Samorì
Keyword(s):  
Surface Potential ◽  
Quantitative Measurement ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Local Surface ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Force Microscopy

Local Surface Potential of π-Conjugated Nanostructures by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy: Effect of the Sampling Depth

Small ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Liscio ◽  
Vincenzo Palermo ◽  
Oliver Fenwick ◽  
Slawomir Braun ◽  
Klaus Müllen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Potential ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Local Surface ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Sampling Depth ◽  
Force Microscopy

scholarly journals Measurement of electrostatic tip–sample interactions by time-domain Kelvin probe force microscopy

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 911-921
Author(s):  
Christian Ritz ◽  
Tino Wagner ◽  
Andreas Stemmer
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Shift ◽  
Surface Potential ◽  
Electrostatic Force ◽  
Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy ◽  
Kelvin Probe ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Atomic Force ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Dc Component ◽  
Lock In

Kelvin probe force microscopy is a scanning probe technique used to quantify the local electrostatic potential of a surface. In common implementations, the bias voltage between the tip and the sample is modulated. The resulting electrostatic force or force gradient is detected via lock-in techniques and canceled by adjusting the dc component of the tip–sample bias. This allows for an electrostatic characterization and simultaneously minimizes the electrostatic influence onto the topography measurement. However, a static contribution due to the bias modulation itself remains uncompensated, which can induce topographic height errors. Here, we demonstrate an alternative approach to find the surface potential without lock-in detection. Our method operates directly on the frequency-shift signal measured in frequency-modulated atomic force microscopy and continuously estimates the electrostatic influence due to the applied voltage modulation. This results in a continuous measurement of the local surface potential, the capacitance gradient, and the frequency shift induced by surface topography. In contrast to conventional techniques, the detection of the topography-induced frequency shift enables the compensation of all electrostatic influences, including the component arising from the bias modulation. This constitutes an important improvement over conventional techniques and paves the way for more reliable and accurate measurements of electrostatics and topography.

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