Scanning Probe Microscopy Facility for Operando Study of Redox Processes on Lithium ion Battery Electrodes

An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is combined with a special designed glovebox system and coupled to a Galvanostat/Potentiostat to allow measurements on electrochemical properties for battery research. An open cell design with electrical contacts makes it possible to reach the electrode surface with the cantilever so as to perform measurements...

Measuring surface charge: Why experimental characterization and molecular modeling should be coupled

Surface charge controls many static and dynamic properties of soft matter and micro/nanofluidic systems, but its unambiguous measurement forms a challenge. Standard characterization methods typically probe an effective surface charge, which provides limited insight into the distribution and dynamics of charge across the interface, and which...

High-throughput parallel SPM for metrology, defect, and mask inspection

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a promising candidate for accurate assessment of metrology and defects on wafers and masks, however it has traditionally been too slow for high-throughput applications, although recent developments have significantly pushed the speed of SPM [1,2]. In this paper we present new results obtained with our...

Ultra thin films for sensing and heating of microprobes

This dissertation aims to advance the current state of cantilevers with integrated metal thermal and deflection sensing elements. Metallic sensing elements enable the use of alternative substrate materials (such as polymers), that tend to exhibit higher compliance properties and are more robust (less brittle) compared to Si or Si3N4 cantilevers....

Transport through a single donor in p-type silicon

Single phosphorus donors in silicon are promising candidates as qubits in the solid state. Here, we present low temperature scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy measurements of individual phosphorus dopants deliberately placed in p-type silicon ?1?nm below the surface. The ability to image individual dopants combined with scanning...

Hot-spot detection and calibration of a scanning thermal probe with a noise thermometry gold wire sample

Measuring the temperature profile of a nanoscale sample using scanning thermal microscopy is challenging due to a scanning probe's non-uniform heating. In order to address this challenge, we have developed a calibration sample consisting of a 1-?m wide gold wire, which can be heated electrically by a small bias current. The Joule heating in the...