Prototype atomic force microscope system with micro-four-point probe for quantitative characterization of local electrical conductivity

An atomic force microscope probe for local conductivity measurement is presented. The minimum space of the four-point atomic force microscope (AFM) probe is 300 nm. The AFM system with the newly developed four-point probe not only inherits the function of AFM surface topography generating but also has the capability of characterizing the local conductivity simultaneously. The local conductivities of aluminum and indium tin oxide thin films of 6.0μm and 350 nm thick are quantitatively measured respectively. The conductivity measurements indicate this four-point AFM probe technique has the capability of measuring submicrometer electrical conductivity.