Resolution enhancement in contact-type scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy using a conductive carbon nanotube probe tip

摘要

The lateral resolution of a scanning nonlinear dielectric microscope ( SNDM) depends on the tip radius. The contact-type SNDM has problems associated with tip abrasion and tip deformation. Thus, the use of an electro-conductive carbon nanotube ( CNT) probe tip is expected to lead to improvements in resolution and durability. In the present paper, we employ a contact- type SNDM with a CNT probe to measure the ferroelectric domain wall of stoichiometric lithium tantalate ( LiTaO3), and similar SNDM measurements are performed with a platinum-coated probe for comparison. In addition, we observe the charge distribution accumulated in a floating gate ( FG) type flash memory and the dopant profile of an n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor ( MOSFET), respectively. By comparing the SNDM images obtained with the two probes, we demonstrate that the lateral resolution of the CNT probe is better than that of the conventional metal-coated probe.