ISSN:
1077-3118
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Simultaneous surface topography and conductivity/potential measurements were carried out on low-field-emission (1 V/μm) carbon films by combining conductive atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy. The current image showed that highly conducting sites and nonconducting regions coexisted on a micro- and/or nanoscale. Further, in situ I–V characteristics of both regions demonstrated that the conducting sites have an Ohmic property, whereas nonconducting regions have a degenerated Schottky property. When combined with the current image, the contact potential difference image showed that the conducting sites have a highest contact potential difference of 0.5 V, which implies the existence of a graphite phase. It is revealed that the conducting channels play an important role in the low-field-emission process. It is also suggested that the combination of conductivity and surface-potential measurements is an effective method for investigating complex-phase nanostructural surfaces. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.125377
