PeakForce Kelvin probe force microscopy

Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), also called surface potential microscopy, has found broad applications, ranging from corrosion studies of alloys, photovoltaic effects on solar cells, and surface analysis. KPFM, together with conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM), has been recognized as the two most used nanoscale electrical characterization tools, complementing each other. In this application note from Bruker, explore how limited spatial resolution and lack of measurement repeatability and accuracy have limited KPFMs usefulness in some critical areas, such as in the identification of donor and acceptor domains in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells, material differentiation in composite materials, and trapped charges on insulators.