Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy Mode (C-AFM)

Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (C-AFM) is a secondary imaging mode derived from contact AFM that characterizes conductivity variations across medium- to low-conducting and semiconducting materials.

C-AFM performs general-purpose measurements, and has a current range of 2 pA to 1 µA. C-AFM employs a conductive probe tip. Typically, a DC bias is applied to the tip, and the sample is held at ground potential. While the z feedback signal is used to generate a normal contact AFM topography image, the current passing between the tip and sample is measured to generate the conductive AFM image.