Development and Application of Multiple-Probe Scanning Probe Microscopes

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 24; no. 13; pp. 1675 - 1692
• Main Authors: Nakayama, Tomonobu, Kubo, Osamu, Shingaya, Yoshitaka, Higuchi, Seiji, Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi, Jiang, Chun-Sheng, Okuda, Taichi, Kuwahara, Yuji, Takami, Kazuhiro, Aono, Masakazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 03.04.2012; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: carbon nanotubes; Electric Conductivity; Equipment Design; graphene; Metals - chemistry; Microscopy, Scanning Probe - instrumentation; multiple-probe atomic force microscope; multiple-probe scanning tunneling microscope; nanoscale electrical conductivity; Nanostructures - chemistry; Nanostructures - ultrastructure; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Nanotubes, Carbon - ultrastructure; Nanowires - chemistry; Nanowires - ultrastructure; Software
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200257

In the research of advanced materials based on nanoscience and nanotechnology, it is often desirable to measure nanoscale local electrical conductivity at a designated position of a given sample. For this purpose, multiple‐probe scanning probe microscopes (MP‐SPMs), in which two, three or four scanning tunneling microscope (STM) or atomic force microscope (AFM) probes are operated independently, have been developed. Each probe in an MP‐SPM is used not only for observing high‐resolution STM or AFM images but also for forming an electrical contact enabling nanoscale local electrical conductivity measurement. The world's first double‐probe STM (DP‐STM) developed by the authors, which was subsequently modified to a triple‐probe STM (TP‐STM), has been used to measure the conductivities of one‐dimensional metal nanowires and carbon nanotubes and also two‐dimensional molecular films. A quadruple‐probe STM (QP‐STM) has also been developed and used to measure the conductivity of two‐dimensional molecular films without the ambiguity of contact resistance between the probe and sample. Moreover, a quadruple‐probe AFM (QP‐AFM) with four conductive tuning‐fork‐type self‐detection force sensing probes has been developed to measure the conductivity of a nanostructure on an insulating substrate. A general‐purpose computer software to control four probes at the same time has also been developed and used in the operation of the QP‐AFM. These developments and applications of MP‐SPMs are reviewed in this paper. Multiple‐probe scanning probe microscopes (MP‐SPMs), in which 2, 3, or 4 scanning tunneling microscope or atomic force microscope probes are operated independently, have been developed. MP‐SPMs are helpful to measure nanoscale local electrical conductivity at a designated position of a given sample and promote research of advanced materials based on nanotechnology. Recent developments and applications of MP‐SPMs are reviewed in this paper.