Direct Measurement of Transfer Functions in Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy Using Artificially Patterned Surface Potentials

Abstract

We report a direct measurement of two-dimensional (2D) transfer functions of conductive probes used in Kelvin probe force microscopy (KFM). The 2D transfer functions are obtained by measuring a well-defined step pattern of surface potentials, prepared on thin films of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum(III) (Alq3) by contact-mask exposure. The experimentally obtained 2D transfer functions are highly asymmetric and are spread over 50 µm. A new finding is the observation of negative values in the KFM transfer function, which cannot be explained by conventional KFM formula. The reconstruction of true surface-potential profiles by model-fitting calculation is demonstrated. The technique presented in this study, i.e., the preparation of surface-potential patterns on Alq3 thin films, is ideal for determining the KFM transfer functions experimentally.