Measurement of electrical properties of materials under the oxide layer by microwave-AFM probe

The capability of a new AFM-based apparatus named microwave atomic force microscope (M-AFM) which can measure the topography and electrical information of samples simultaneously was investigated. Some special samples with different thicknesses of dielectric film (SiO₂) which plays the role of oxide layer creating on the material surface were fabricated. The measurement of electrical properties of materials under the oxide layer by the M-AFM was studied. The results indicate that the M-AFM can lead the microwave signal penetrate the oxide film (SiO₂) with a limited thickness of 60 nm and obtain the electrical information of underlying materials.