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arXiv · 1009.1905

Impact of Electrostatic Forces in Contact Mode Scanning Force Microscopy

F. Johann·Á. Hoffmann·E. Soergel
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Abstract

In this $\ll$ contribution we address the question to what extent surface charges affect contact-mode scanning force microscopy measurements. % We therefore designed samples where we could generate localized electric field distributions near the surface as and when required. % We performed a series of experiments where we varied the load of the tip, the stiffness of the cantilever and the hardness of the sample surface. % It turned out that only for soft cantilevers could an electrostatic interaction between tip and surface charges be detected, irrespective of the surface properties, i.\,e. basically regardless its hardness. % We explain these results through a model based on the alteration of the tip-sample potential by the additional electric field between charged tip and surface charges.

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F. Johann, Á. Hoffmann, E. Soergel. 2010-09-09. Impact of Electrostatic Forces in Contact Mode Scanning Force Microscopy. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.81.094109

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