Electrostatic Force Imaging by Tunneling Acoustic Microscopy

Abstract
A new method for detecting the electrostatic force between a tip and a sample is presented. A voltage applied to the tip generates a strain which is proportional to the electrostatic force in the sample. By modulating the voltage, the strain is transmitted in the sample as a wave and is detected using a piezoelectric transducer coupled to the sample. This method, as one of the applications of tunneling acoustic microscopy(TAM), enables us to measure electrostatic forces and surface contours simultaneously. It has been proven through this measurement that force sensitivity of up to 10-11N is achieved with TAM. Electrostatic force images and topographies of an ion-implanted silicon are shown.

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