Scanning Probe Microscopy: Ultrasonic Force and Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

Abstract

In 1981, Gerd Binning and Heinrich Rohree at IBM Zurich developed the first generation of the scanning probe microscope, the scanning tunneling microscope for which they received the Noble Prize in physics. The Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) was a fantastic breakthrough with its capability to image atoms with angstrom precision. The physical operating principle of the STM is that when a bias voltage is applied between a sharp tip and a sample, a tunneling current is produced as electrons travel from one material to the other. This tunneling current is an exponential function of the distance between the tip and the sample and is responsible for the angstrom precision of the STM [1]. Wide use of the STM however was constrained by the requirement that the scanning tip and the sample must be conductive. The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was developed from the STM system and overcame the necessity of conductivity that accompanied STM imaging. The AFM sacrifices some of the atomic resolution of the STM as a trade off for imaging both nonconductors and conductors. The AFM resolution is classified as near atomic for topographic images.KeywordsOpen Circuit PotentialVolta PotentialCantilever DeflectionAtomic Force Microscope Topography ImageProbe Force MicroscopyThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.