Understanding the atomic-scale contrast in Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

Abstract

A numerical analysis of the origin of the atomic-scale contrast in Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is presented. Atomistic simulations of the tip-sample interaction force field have been combined with a non-contact Atomic Force Microscope/KPFM simulator. The implementation mimics recent experimental results on the (001) surface of a bulk alkali halide crystal for which simultaneous atomic-scale topographical and Contact Potential Difference (CPD) contrasts were reported. The local CPD does reflect the periodicity of the ionic crystal, but not the magnitude of its Madelung surface potential. The imaging mechanism relies on the induced polarization of the ions at the tip-surface interface owing to the modulation of the applied bias voltage. Our findings are in excellent agreement with previous theoretical expectations and experimental observations.

References in corpus (2)

• Analytical Approach to the Local Contact Potential Difference on (001) Ionic Surfaces: Implications for Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy
• Noncontact atomic force microscopy simulator with phase-locked-loop controlled frequency detection and excitation

Cited by in corpus (8)

• A Multi-scale Approach for Simulations of Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy with Atomic Resolution
• Investigating Atomic Contrast in Atomic Force Microscopy and Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy on Ionic Systems using Functionalized Tips
• Multichannel scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy of graphene moire structures
• Potential contributions of noncontact atomic force microscopy for the future Casimir force measurements
• Steady-state and transient behavior in dynamic atomic force microscopy
• Charged-state dynamics in Kelvin probe force microscopy
• Nanoscale electrical measurements in liquids using AFM - progress and outlook
• Real-space imaging of σ-hole by means of Kelvin probe force microscopy with subatomic resolution