Advanced Characterization of Material Properties on the Nanometer Scale Using Atomic Force Microscopy

We report recent advances in material characterization on the nanometer scale using scanning microwave microscopy. This combines atomic force microscopy and a vector network analyzer using microwave tip sample interaction to characterize dielectric and electronic material properties on the nanometer scale. We present the methods for calibration as well as applications. Scanning microwave microscopy features calibrated measurements of: (1) capacitance with attofarad sensitivity. For calibration a well characterized array of capacitors (0.1 fF to 10 fF) is used. The method is applied to determine the dielectric properties of thin organic films, (2) Semiconductor dopant density. Calibration is performed by imaging the cross-section of a standard sample with differently doped layers (dopant stair case) from 10(16) atoms/cm(3) to 10(20) atoms/cm(3).