Probing Electrical Transport Properties at the Nanoscale by Current-Sensing Atomic Force Microscopy

  • Laura Fumagalli
  • Ignacio Casuso
  • Giorgio Ferrari
  • G. Gomila
Chapter
Part of the Nano Science and Technolgy book series (NANO)

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the fundamentals and recent advances of current-sensing atomic forcemicroscopy (CS-AFM) with particular emphasis on instrumental aspects. After discussing some generic aspects concerning themeasurement of electrical currents at the nanoscale, we review the main CS-AFM techniques developed to probe the electrical transport properties at the nanoscale, namely, conductive atomic force microscopy, nanoscale impedance microscopy and electron noise microscopy. In each case we describe the electronic instrumentation implemented and the main applications of the technique to the fields of material science, electronics and biology. It is concluded that the measurement of direct and alternating currents and of current fluctuations with nanoscale spatial resolution provides an invaluable tool for an understanding of the spatially resolved electrical transport properties at the nanoscale.

Keywords

Atomic Force Microscopy Electrical Transport Atomic Force Microscopy Probe Electrical Transport Property Stray Capacitance 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • Laura Fumagalli
    • 1
  • Ignacio Casuso
    • 1
  • Giorgio Ferrari
    • 2
  • G. Gomila
    • 1
  1. 1.Laboratory of Nanobioengineering Barcelona Science Park and Department of ElectronicsUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
  2. 2.Dipartimento di Elettronica e InformazionePolitecnico di MilanoMilanoItaly

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