Quantifying the dielectric constant of thick insulators using electrostatic force microscopy

Quantitative measurement of the low-frequency dielectric constants of thick insulators at the nanoscale is demonstrated utilizing ac electrostatic force microscopy combined with finite-element calculations based on a truncated cone with hemispherical apex probe geometry. The method is validated on m...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2010-05, Vol.96 (18), p.183107-183107-3
Main Authors: Fumagalli, L, Gramse, G, Esteban-Ferrer, D, Edwards, M A, Gomila, G
Format: Article
Language:eng
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Quantitative measurement of the low-frequency dielectric constants of thick insulators at the nanoscale is demonstrated utilizing ac electrostatic force microscopy combined with finite-element calculations based on a truncated cone with hemispherical apex probe geometry. The method is validated on muscovite mica, borosilicate glass, poly(ethylene naphthalate), and poly(methyl methacrylate). The dielectric constants obtained are essentially given by a nanometric volume located at the dielectric-air interface below the tip, independently of the substrate thickness, provided this is on the hundred micrometer-length scale, or larger.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118