Journal article

Publication year: 2017

Journal: Journal of Applied Physics

Volume number: 122

Issue number: 6

ISSN: 0021-8979

eISSN: 1089-7550

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4998435

Publisher: American Institute of Physics

Abstract: 
Voltage-modulated force spectroscopy techniques, such as electrochemical strain microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy, are powerful tools for characterizing electromechanical properties on the nanoscale. In order to correctly interpret the results, it is important to quantify the sample motion and to distinguish it from the electrostatic excitation of the cantilever resonance. Here, we use a detailed model to describe the cantilever dynamics in contact resonance measurements, and we compare the results with experimental values. We show how to estimate model parameters from experimental values and explain how they influence the sensitivity of the cantilever with respect to the excitation. We explain the origin of different crosstalk effects and how to identify them. We further show that different contributions to the measured signal can be distinguished by analyzing the correlation between the resonance frequency and the measured amplitude. We demonstrate this technique on two representative test samples: (i) ferroelectric periodically poled lithium niobate, and (ii) the Na+-ion conducting soda-lime float glass. We extend our analysis to higher cantilever bending modes and show that non-local electrostatic excitation is strongly reduced in higher bending modes due to the nodes in the lever shape. Based on our analyses, we present practical guidelines for quantitative imaging. Published by AIP Publishing.

Harvard Citation style: Bradler, S., Schirmeisen, A. and Roling, B. (2017) Amplitude quantification in contact-resonance-based voltage-modulated force spectroscopy, Journal of Applied Physics, 122(6), Article 065106. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4998435

APA Citation style: Bradler, S., Schirmeisen, A., & Roling, B. (2017). Amplitude quantification in contact-resonance-based voltage-modulated force spectroscopy. Journal of Applied Physics. 122(6), Article 065106. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4998435