Join this webinar on 18 May - 10:00 (BST) / 11:00 (CET) / 19:00 (UTC+9) titled, Exploring ferroelectricity in layered materials using atomic force microscopy in vacuum.
About this webinar
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and its associated functional modes such as Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) detect forces on the scale of 1 nN in-order-to measure the topography and functional properties of surfaces with nanometre-scale resolution. Under ambient conditions, however, damping of the cantilever and interactions with airborne contaminants adsorbed at interfaces degrade the sensitivity of AFM measurements. By utilizing the Park NX-Hivac, a system that enables the performance of AFM measurements down to the 1x10-6 mbar range, we demonstrate performance in topography and electrostatic modes which are closer to the intrinsic limit of scanning probe microscopy systems in a platform free from the laborious operating procedures and practical limitations of full ultra-high vacuum-based AFM.
In this webinar, we expand on our recent webinar using the Park Systems FX40 automatic AFM [1] to explore a system that has received significant recent attention from the layered materials research community; ferroelectric superlattices formed by the formation of parallel stacked interfaces [2-4]. Taking such a parallel stacked boron nitride interface on graphene, we first observe ferroelectric domains using both electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) and KPFM with improved sensitivity versus measurements performed under ambient conditions. We then go on to demonstrate the observation of features in topography height and phase channels which further exemplify the opportunities to study tip-sample interactions in much richer detail in a vacuum.
About the event speakers
James received his PhD in Physics from the University of Nottingham in 2018, studying morphology and optical properties of monolayers of self-assembled molecules and their heterostructures. He then went on to work as a postdoctoral researcher, also at the University of Nottingham, working on the formation of hybrid heterostructures of molecular assemblies and layered materials demonstrating both electroluminescence and selective triplet excitation.
In 2020, James took up a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the Cambridge Graphene Centre, using scanning probe microscopy and optical spectroscopy to study electrostatics and optical properties of layered materials heterostructures with controlled twist angle and their scalable incorporation into integrated photonic circuits.
Since January 2022, James has been a member of the Park Systems team as an applications scientist, supporting customers with interests ranging from fundamental physics to industrial-scale production in the application of a diverse range of scanning probe microscopy techniques to gain insightful results.
Who should attend this webinar
This event is part of our ‘Trends vs. Hypes in AFM’ webinar series. In this 4-part webinar series, we deal with the questions: Which features are relevant for my applications? Do I really need all the hypes of AFM? How can I get the best possible data with my AFM?
We will take you on a tour including features like high resolution, advantages of ambient vs. high vacuum conditions, electrical investigations, and automation of experiments in order to holistically address the state-of-the-art in AFM.
This series focuses on trending applications in #nanoresearch
[1] ‘https://parksystems.com/medias/nano-academy/webinars/115-webinars/2415-enriching-your-afm-data-kpfm-high-resolution-imaging-of-ferroelectric-domains-with-automated-afm’
[2] C. R. Woods et al. Nat Commun. 12, 347 (2021).
[3] M. Vizner Stern et al. Science 372, 1462-1466 (2021)
[4] K. Yasuda et al. Science 372, 1458-1462 (2021)