Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
We present two new approaches that significantly enhance the analytic power of Scanning Conductance Microscopy (SCM) and Scanning Gate Microscopy (SGM). First, we present a quantitative model that explains the phase shifts observed in SCM, by considering the change in the total capacitance of the tip-sample-substrate system. We show excellent agreement with data on samples of (conducting) single wall nanotubes and insulating polyethylene oxide (PEO) nanofibers. This model is also used to determine the dielectric constant of PEO nanofibers, a general approach that can be extended to other dielectric nanowires. Second, we extend the SGM to frequencies up to 15MHz, and use it to image changes in the impedance of carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNFET) circuits induced by the SGM-tip gate. We show that these measurements are consistent with a simple RC parallel circuit model of the CNFET, with a time constant of 0.3 μs.