APL Nameplate
  • Volume/Page
  • Keyword
  • DOI
  • Citation
  • Advanced
   
 
 
 

Flickr Twitter iResearch App Facebook

BROWSE VOLUMES

Year Range: 
Search Issue | RSS Feeds RSS
Previous Issue Next Issue

23 Jul 2001

Volume 79, Issue 4, pp. 449-553

Return to All Sections
back to top
RSS Feeds

Cantilever effects on the measurement of electrostatic potentials by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy

G. Koley, M. G. Spencer, and H. R. Bhangale

Appl. Phys. Lett. 79, 545 (2001); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1384004 (3 pages) | Cited 45 times

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF

Show Abstract
Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) is a unique way to measure electrostatic potentials for small geometries. It has numerous applications including characterization of integrated circuits and nanoscale devices. SKPM is attractive because of the quantitative nature of the measurements. In this work, we have examined one of the principal sources of measurement error, the cantilever (which holds the probe tip). The accuracy of measurements of electrostatic potentials on closely spaced regions biased differently is reduced due to a large capacitance gradient associated with the cantilever. However, it is observed that the accuracy of measurements increases as the tip–sample distance is decreased because the capacitance gradient of the tip becomes proportionally larger relative to that of the cantilever. It is further observed that longer tips with smaller cantilever areas measure the electrostatic potentials more accurately as the capacitance gradient of the cantilever is reduced. Scanning probe tips are parametrized by a factor R, which indicates their suitability for SKPM measurements. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.
Show PACS
07.79.-v Scanning probe microscopes and components
84.37.+q Measurements in electric variables (including voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, inductance, impedance, and admittance, etc.)
06.20.Dk Measurement and error theory
85.40.Qx Microcircuit quality, noise, performance, and failure analysis
Return to All Sections
Close

Google Calendar

ADVERTISEMENT

Go to AIP Home   © AIP Publishing LLC
close