Electric Force (EFM) Imaging
Electric Field Gradient Detection—Procedures
260
MultiMode SPM Instruction Manual
Rev. B
•
Set the
Drive frequency
to the left side of the cantilever resonance curve, as shown in
below.
Figure 14.4e
Amplitude Detection Cantilever Tune
(Basic Extender Module
not
Installed).
•
For maximum sensitivity, set the
Drive frequency
to the steepest part of the resonance
curve. As the tip oscillates above the sample, a gradient in the magnetic force will shift
the resonance frequency F
0
). Tracking the variations in oscillation
amplitude while in
LiftMode
yields an image of the electric force gradients. Either side
of the resonance may be used, though we have obtained slightly better results on the low
side, as shown in
•
When using
Amplitude Detection
, optical interference may sometimes appear in the
lift (magnetic force) image when imaging highly re
fl
ective samples. Optical
interference appears as evenly spaced, sometimes wavy lines with about 1–2µm spacing
superimposed on the lift image. This occurs when ambient laser light (i.e., light passing
around or through the cantilever, then re
fl
ecting off the sample) interferes with laser
light re
fl
ecting from the cantilever. Interference can be alleviated by moving the beam
spot up the cantilever away from the tip; about one-third of the cantilever length from
the tip usually works well. On the MultiMode head, the adjustment can be re
fi
ned by
carefully moving the beam spot laterally on the cantilever while scanning until
interference fringes are minimized.
Note:
Optical interference is essentially eliminated by using phase detection or
frequency modulation, available only
with
the Basic Extender Module.