There are two kinds of conductivity measurements possible with scanning probe microscopy (SPM). In the first case, the specific resistance of material directly below the tip is probed. In the second case, SPM probes local potential induced by the lateral current applied through macroscopic contacts, thus providing the information on the mesoscopic transport properties of the sample.

The first set of techniques is invariably based on measuring tip-surface current in contact or intermittent tapping mode. If the tip-surface contact resistance is small (good contact), the current will be limited by the spreading resistance of the sample from which specific resistance can be calculated, assuming that the contact area is known.