Scanning quantum dot microscopy

Scanning quantum dot microscopy (SQDM) is a scanning probe microscopy (SPM) that is used to image nanoscale electric potential distributions on surfaces.[1][2][3][4] The method quantifies surface potential variations via their influence on the potential of a quantum dot (QD) attached to the apex of the scanned probe. SQDM allows, for example, the quantification of surface dipoles originating from individual adatoms, molecules, or nanostructures. This gives insights into surface and interface mechanisms such as reconstruction or relaxation, mechanical distortion, charge transfer and chemical interaction. Measuring electric potential distributions is also relevant for characterizing organic and inorganic semiconductor devices which feature electric dipole layers at the relevant interfaces. The probe to surface distance in SQDM ranges from 2 nm[1][3] to 10 nm[2] and therefore allows imaging on non-planar surfaces or, e.g., of biomolecules with a distinct 3D structure. Related imaging techniques are Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) and Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM).

  1. ^ a b Wagner, Christian; Green, Matthew F. B.; Leinen, Philipp; Deilmann, Thorsten; Krüger, Peter; Rohlfing, Michael; Temirov, Ruslan; Tautz, F. Stefan (2015-07-06). "Scanning Quantum Dot Microscopy". Physical Review Letters. 115 (2): 026101. arXiv:1503.07738. Bibcode:2015PhRvL.115b6101W. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.026101. ISSN 0031-9007. PMID 26207484. S2CID 1720328.
  2. ^ a b Cadeddu, D.; Munsch, M.; Rossi, N.; Gérard, J.-M.; Claudon, J.; Warburton, R. J.; Poggio, M. (2017-09-29). "Electric-Field Sensing with a Scanning Fiber-Coupled Quantum Dot". Physical Review Applied. 8 (3): 031002. arXiv:1705.03358. Bibcode:2017PhRvP...8c1002C. doi:10.1103/PhysRevApplied.8.031002. ISSN 2331-7019. S2CID 55186378.
  3. ^ a b Wagner, Christian; Green, Matthew. F. B.; Maiworm, Michael; Leinen, Philipp; Esat, Taner; Ferri, Nicola; Friedrich, Niklas; Findeisen, Rolf; Tkatchenko, Alexandre; Temirov, Ruslan; Tautz, F. Stefan (August 2019). "Quantitative imaging of electric surface potentials with single-atom sensitivity". Nature Materials. 18 (8): 853–859. Bibcode:2019NatMa..18..853W. doi:10.1038/s41563-019-0382-8. ISSN 1476-1122. PMC 6656579. PMID 31182779.
  4. ^ Wagner, Christian; Tautz, F Stefan (2019-11-27). "The theory of scanning quantum dot microscopy". Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. 31 (47): 475901. arXiv:1905.06153. Bibcode:2019JPCM...31U5901W. doi:10.1088/1361-648X/ab2d09. ISSN 0953-8984. PMID 31242473. S2CID 155093213.