Kelvin probe force microscopy

Measurements of the contact potential difference between different materials have been performed for the first time using scanning force microscopy. The instrument has a high resolution for both the contact potential difference (better than 0.1 mV) and the lateral dimension (<50 nm) and allows the simultaneous imaging of topography and contact potential difference. Images of gold, platinum, and palladium surfaces, taken in air, show a large contrast in the contact potential difference and demonstrate the basic concept.