Method for imaging liquid and dielectric materials with scanning polarization force microscopy

US5880360A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The Regents of the University of California · US

Inventors

• Jun HU · Berkeley, US
• D. Frank Ogletree · Corona, US
• Miguel Salmeron · Corona, US
• Xudong Xiao · Hong Kong, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 9, 1997
• Grant date: Mar 9, 1999
• Expiry date: Jun 9, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S977/86
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention images dielectric polarization forces on surfaces induced by a charged scanning force microscope (SFM) probe tip. On insulators, the major contribution to the surface polarizability at low frequencies is from surface ions. The mobility of these ions depends strongly on the humidity. Using the inventive SFM, liquid films, droplets, and other weakly adsorbed materials have been imaged.