Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

O: Oberflächenphysik

O 22: Rastersondentechniken I

O 22.5: Talk

Saturday, March 5, 2005, 11:45–12:00, TU EB407

Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy — •Tilman E. Schäffer, Pia Heidenreich, Matthias Böcker und Harald Fuchs — Physikalisches Institut and Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech), Universität Münster, Gievenbecker Weg 11, 48149 Münster

We built a scanning ion conductance microscope (SICM) with shear-force distance control. In a SICM, a tapered micropipette with an opening diameter of less than 100 nm is filled with electrolyte and acts as local ion conductance probe while being scanned over a sample surface. To obtain a meaningful interpretation of the measured ion conductance, we keep the pipette-sample distance constant by implementing a complementary shear-force distance control that works under liquid. The vibration amplitude of the pipette we detect optically with the help of a laser beam that we focus onto the thin end of the pipette. In this way, we simultaneously measure two complementary surface properties: topography and ion conductance. We imaged different samples such as CDs, nanogrids and cells, all in liquid. The imaging force was low enough to allow damage-free imaging, even on soft samples.