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SMIM

Scanning Microwave Impedance Microscopy

FAFM SMIMs Scheme

Scanning microwave impedance microscopy (SMIM) enables local electrical characterization of materials by sending microwaves (~3 GHz) to the sample through a shielded probe. A near-field electromagnetic wave is created and interacts with the sample dependent on local electronic properties. The microwave signal that is reflected back into the tip is demodulated and depends on the local tip-sample impedance. The demodulated real and imaginary signals provide information on local dielectric properties/losses, capacitance, and conductivity/resistivity. Moreover, related characteristics such as dielectric tunability, properties evident from nanoscale C-V curves, charge carrier density/polarity, and changes in resistivity as a function of voltage can be measured by applying additional AC and DC electric fields. 

Features:

Available modes:

  • SMIM dC/dV and dR/dV measurements
  • Simultaneous, custom DC voltage waveform
  • Simultaneous piezoresponse force microscopy measurements
  • Simultaneous current measurements 
  • Scanning and spectroscopic modes

Specifications:

  • PrimeNano ScanWaveTM Pro
  • Capacitance sensitivity of <0.1 attoFarad
  • Surface and sub-surface imaging
  • Available for Asylum Research Cypher AFM and Bruker Icon Dimension
  • Max sample size (12x12 mm, 10x10 cm)
  • Scan range (30x30 um, 80x80 um) 
  • Z height limit (<10 µm)

Applications:

Electrical and electronic characterization of 2D materials, semiconductors, ferroelectrics,…

Phase transitions, e.g. metal-insulator 

Memresistive and memcapacitive properties

References:

  • SM Neumayer, O Olunloyo, P Maksymovych, K Xiao, “Nanoscale Probing of Electrical Memory Effects in van der Waals Layered PdSe2”, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 16(3):3665, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c14427
  • O Popova, SJ Randolph, SM Neumayer, L Liang, B Lawrie, OS Ovchinnikova, RJ Bondi, MJ Marinella, BG Sumpter, P Maksymovych, “Nanoscale imaging of He-ion irradiation effects on amorphous TaOx toward electroforming-free neuromorphic functions”, Applied Physics Letters 123(5): 153503, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0158380
  • SM Neumayer, N Bauer, SA Basun, BS Conner, MA Susner, MO Lavrentovich, P Maksymovych, “Dynamic Stabilization of Metastable States in Triple-Well Ferroelectric Sn2P2S6”, Advanced Materials 35(20):2211194, 2023.  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202211194
  • SM Neumayer, AV Ievlev, A Tselev, SA Basun, BS Conner, MA Susner, P Maksymovych, "Polarization-contolled volatile ferroelectric and capacitive switching in Sn2P2S6" Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering 3(1);014005, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4386/acb37e
  • A Tselev, P Yu, Y Cao, LR Dedon, LW Martin, SV Kalinin, P Maksymovych, “Microwave a.c. conductivity of domain walls in ferroelectric thin films”, Nature Communications 7:11630, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11630

Contacts

Impedance spectroscopy in devices and materials for microelectronics