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Title: Quantification of in-contact probe-sample electrostatic forces with dynamic atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Here, atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods utilizing resonant mechanical vibrations of cantilevers in contact with a sample surface have shown sensitivities as high as few picometers for detecting surface displacements. Such a high sensitivity is harnessed in several AFM imaging modes. Here, we demonstrate a cantilever-resonance-based method to quantify electrostatic forces on a probe in the probe-sample junction in the presence of a surface potential or when a bias voltage is applied to the AFM probe. We find that the electrostatic forces acting on the probe tip apex can produce signals equivalent to a few pm of surface displacement. In combination with modeling, the measurements of the force were used to access the strength of the electrical field at the probe tip apex in contact with a sample. We find an evidence that the electric field strength in the junction can reach ca. 1 V nm–1 at a bias voltage of a few volts and is limited by non-ideality of the tip-sample contact. This field is sufficiently strong to significantly influence material states and kinetic processes through charge injection, Maxwell stress, shifts of phase equilibria, and reduction of energy barriers for activated processes. Besides, the results provide a baseline formore » accounting for the effects of local electrostatic forces in electromechanical AFM measurements as well as offer additional means to probe ionic mobility and field-induced phenomena in solids.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [3]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL (United States)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Aveiro, Aveiro (Portugal)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1408026
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1338074
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nanotechnology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 28; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 0957-4484
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

Citation Formats

Balke, Nina Wisinger, Jesse, Stephen, Carmichael, Ben D., Okatan, M. Baris, Kravchenko, Ivan I., Kalinin, Sergei V., and Tselev, Alexander. Quantification of in-contact probe-sample electrostatic forces with dynamic atomic force microscopy. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1088/1361-6528/aa5370.
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Balke, Nina Wisinger, Jesse, Stephen, Carmichael, Ben D., Okatan, M. Baris, Kravchenko, Ivan I., Kalinin, Sergei V., & Tselev, Alexander. Quantification of in-contact probe-sample electrostatic forces with dynamic atomic force microscopy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aa5370
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Balke, Nina Wisinger, Jesse, Stephen, Carmichael, Ben D., Okatan, M. Baris, Kravchenko, Ivan I., Kalinin, Sergei V., and Tselev, Alexander. Wed . "Quantification of in-contact probe-sample electrostatic forces with dynamic atomic force microscopy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aa5370. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1408026.
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@article{osti_1408026,
title = {Quantification of in-contact probe-sample electrostatic forces with dynamic atomic force microscopy},
author = {Balke, Nina Wisinger and Jesse, Stephen and Carmichael, Ben D. and Okatan, M. Baris and Kravchenko, Ivan I. and Kalinin, Sergei V. and Tselev, Alexander},
abstractNote = {Here, atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods utilizing resonant mechanical vibrations of cantilevers in contact with a sample surface have shown sensitivities as high as few picometers for detecting surface displacements. Such a high sensitivity is harnessed in several AFM imaging modes. Here, we demonstrate a cantilever-resonance-based method to quantify electrostatic forces on a probe in the probe-sample junction in the presence of a surface potential or when a bias voltage is applied to the AFM probe. We find that the electrostatic forces acting on the probe tip apex can produce signals equivalent to a few pm of surface displacement. In combination with modeling, the measurements of the force were used to access the strength of the electrical field at the probe tip apex in contact with a sample. We find an evidence that the electric field strength in the junction can reach ca. 1 V nm–1 at a bias voltage of a few volts and is limited by non-ideality of the tip-sample contact. This field is sufficiently strong to significantly influence material states and kinetic processes through charge injection, Maxwell stress, shifts of phase equilibria, and reduction of energy barriers for activated processes. Besides, the results provide a baseline for accounting for the effects of local electrostatic forces in electromechanical AFM measurements as well as offer additional means to probe ionic mobility and field-induced phenomena in solids.},
doi = {10.1088/1361-6528/aa5370},
journal = {Nanotechnology},
number = 6,
volume = 28,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 04 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Wed Jan 04 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aa5370
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