Multiscale thermoelectric imaging for fast metrology and manipulation

The latest scanning probe technology permits the same probe tip to carry out all of the imaging, characterization and manipulation operations. This multifunctional capability assists in a wide variety of applications, but low endurance and speed continue to be important problems to solve. We decouple the imaging and manipulation aspects of a probe device by implementing a thermoelectric imaging mode that functions entirely out of contact. In this new "off-contact mode," speeds can be accelerated up to two orders of magnitude relative to typical scanning probe microscopy scan speeds without damaging the probe tip. Combined with the nanoscale resolution provided by the tip while in contact, a single scanning probe can perform imaging and manipulation with multiscale resolution.