SVET Overview

Add to Quote Request

The Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique uses a single wire to
measures voltage drop in solution. This voltage drop is a result of
local current at the surface of a sample. Measuring this voltage in
solution images the current at the sample surface. Current can be
naturally occurring from a corrosion or biological process, or the
current can be externally controlled using a galvanostat.
A piezo unit vibrates the probe in Z-direction (axis parallel to the
sample). The amplitude of vibration may be only 10s of microns
peak-to-peak. This small vibration provides a very small voltage to be measured.
Therefore, the response (signal + noise) at the probe is then gained by the electrometer. The gained output
of the electrometer is then input to a Lock-In Amplifier. This, in turn, uses a phase detector along with a
Reference at the same frequency of vibration to extract the small AC signal from the entire measured
response. The VersaSCAN capitalizes on Ameteks industry-leading Noise Characteristics of the Signal
Recovery 7230 Lock-In Amplifier to provide superior measurement of these small signals.
The voltage recorded and the probe is repositioned. A data map results as voltage versus position are
displayed.
A key application of SVET is to study corrosion process of bare metals. These metals could be galvanic
couples or these could occur from local non-uniform corrosion events, such as pits or crevices.
Time-lapse experiment series provide the capability to literally watch the corrosion events happen as
different areas passivate and activate.
Additionally, there are many applications and references for the use and results of SVET used in biological
systems.

Kelvin probe force microscope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


In Kelvin probe force microscopy, a conducting cantilever is scanned over a surface at a constant height
in order to map the work function of the surface.
Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), also known as surface potential microscopy, is a noncontact
variant of atomic force microscopy (AFM), and was invented in 1991.
[1]
With KPFM, the work function of
surfaces can be observed at atomic or molecular scales. The work function relates to many surface
phenomena, including catalytic activity, reconstruction of surfaces, doping and band-bending of
semiconductors, charge trapping in dielectrics and corrosion. The map of the work function produced by
KPFM gives information about the composition and electronic state of the local structures on the surface of a
solid.
KPFM is a scanning probe method where the potential offset between a probe tip and a surface can be
measured using the same principle as a macroscopic Kelvin probe. The cantilever in the AFM is a reference
electrode that forms a capacitor with the surface, over which it is scanned laterally at a constant separation.
The cantilever is not piezoelectrically driven at its mechanical resonance frequency 0 as in normal AFM
although an alternating current (AC) voltage is applied at this frequency.
When there is a direct-current (DC) potential difference between the tip and the surface, the AC+DC voltage
offset will cause the cantilever to vibrate. The origin of the force can be understood by considering that the
energy of the capacitor formed by the cantilever and the surface is

plus terms at DC. Only the cross-term proportional to the VDCVAC product is at the resonance frequency 0.
The resulting vibration of the cantilever is detected using usual scanned-probe microscopy methods
(typically involving a diode laser and a four-quadrant detector). A null circuit is used to drive the DC
potential of the tip to a value which minimizes the vibration. A map of this nulling DC potential versus the
lateral position coordinate therefore produces an image of the work function of the surface.
A related technique, electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), directly measures the force produced on a
charged tip by the electric field emanating from the surface. EFM operates much like magnetic force
microscopy in that the frequency shift or amplitude change of the cantilever oscillation is used to detect the
electric field. However, EFM is much more sensitive to topographic artifacts than KPFM. Both EFM and KPFM
require the use of conductive cantilevers, typically metal-coated silicon or silicon nitride.