Time-resolved electrostatic and kelvin probe force microscopy

Abstract

Electrostatic (EFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) have contributed significantly to the understanding of nanoscale electronic properties and the structure-property relationship in numerous electronic and optoelectronic materials and device systems. In many applications, knowledge about the dynamics of electronic processes is of high importance to understand limitations and improve device performance. Both EFM and KPFM typically measure on time scales of milliseconds to tens of milliseconds, which provides access to dynamic processes on that time scale. Nevertheless, only a limited number of studies have made use of this time resolution and investigated dynamic effects. In addition, more recently several methods have been presented that extend the time resolution to even faster processes. The different methods are presented in detail and some relevant results obtained for a variety of materials and device systems are reviewed.