Electrostatics - Import export

The new digital controller PX Ultra turns your routine SPM device into easytouse instrument for scientific breakthroughs and advanced research The controller has 5 lockins amplifiers for uponelevel multitechnique leading edge measurements. The up to 5 MHz bandwidth for use of HF cantilevers and high harmonic oscillations’ action for the advanced investigation of electrical and mechanical properties at nanoscale. Lownoise piezoscanner control affords carrying out research by the same scanning element in the range from nanometers to tens and hundreds of micrometers.Ease of upgrade and functional extension of controller due to convenient slot organization. Regularly updated software. LabView compatibility for users’ custom applications. HybriD Mode™compatible.Fully automated adjustment for defined measuring mode. Digital and analogue peripheral ports. Ask online support service.

In HD Piezoresponse Force Microscopy mode (HD PFM) an AC voltage is applied to the conductive AFM cantilever when the tip comes in contact with the sample during each fast force spectroscopy cycle. Applied AC voltage causes mechanical oscillations of the piezoelectric (ferroelectric) sample.Corresponding vertical and lateral motions of the AFM tip are recorded and processed to get the amplitude and phase characterizing the local piezoelectric coefficient and local polarization direction respectively. Since the AFM tip retracts from the surface in each scanning point, the lateral tipsample interaction force is significantly reduced in comparison to the conventional contact PFM technique. This provides new capabilities for piezoresponse studies of soft, loose and fragile objects like biological samples, nanoparticles etc. Furthermore an AFM cantilever of higher stiffness and resonance frequency can be used.

Electrical characterization of objects, that are weakly attached to the surface, has always been a challenge when using standard AFM modes like Conductive AFM. This was because often the tip moved or abraded the objects of interest. HybriD Mode drastically decreased the impact of lateral forces and simplified these experiments. Comparison of conductive and mechanical maps shown in this example allows the clear identification of single nanotubes and bundles. New stateoftheart HybriD 2.0 control electronics allows simultaneous resonant electrostatic studies using twopass technique Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy Electrostatic Force Microscopy Scanning Capacitance Force Microscopy