ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE COMBINED WITH SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPE [AFM/STM]

Recently we developed a scanning force/tunneling microscope (AFM/STM), wherein the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is combined with the atomic force microscope (AFM). This AFM/STM system enables investigation of the surface corrugation by AFM and the local conductance by STM in the same microscopic area with nanometer resolution. In the present paper, we report on the AFM/STM application to the characterization of semiconductor surfaces in air with inhomogeneous conductance and with a thin oxide film. As a result, the potential of the AFM/STM for investigating inhomogeneous conductance of ion-implanted Si(100) surfaces was clarified. Moreover the process dependence of oxidation sites on poly-Si surface; and the voltage-dependent phenomena of thin Si oxide such as contact electrification, corona discharge and dielectric breakdown were studied.