Shear-mode scanning capacitance microscope

Scanning capacitance microscope (SCM) is developed using an all-metallic probe, whose distance from the sample is controlled by detecting the shear-force drag on the laterally oscillating probe. The oscillatory motion of the probe is electromechanically excited and detected. Using this SCM, a set of images of topography, dC/dV, and dC/dX is simultaneously obtained, where C and V are, respectively, capacitance and applied voltage between the probe and the sample, and X is the coordinate along probe tip oscillation. The SCM developed shows sensitivity for dC/dV higher than the conventional SCM. The dC/dX image clearly indicates the built-in depletion region due to the p–n junction.