title: The jump-into-contact effect in biased AFM probes on dielectric films and its application to quantify the dielectric permittivity of thin layers.
abstract: The jump-into-contact (JIC) phenomenon in biased atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes on dielectric films is studied. The influence of the film thickness on the position at which the AFM tip collapses irreversibly into the sample surface was theoretically analyzed using a widely accepted analytical expression of the probe-sample electrostatic interaction force. It was demonstrated that for relatively high values of voltage (V > 10-20 V) applied between the probe and the substrate the cantilever deflection at the JIC is independent of the dielectric film thickness for thin-ultrathin layers (h < 10-50 nm). Under the same conditions the z-piezo distance at the JIC follows approximately a linear behavior with the film thickness. Based on this effect an empirical model was formulated to estimate the dielectric permittivity of thin/ultrathin dielectric films using the jump-into-contact distance. The procedure was successfully applied on thin PVD-SiO2 films, obtaining good agreement with a dielectric constant value previously reported for the same material.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Studies of Cuba, Havana 19370, Cuba.
authors.forename: Reynier I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Revilla