Determination of electrostatic force and its characteristics based on phase difference by amplitude modulation atomic...

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate electrostatic force measurement is crucial for micro/nano-scale applications.
• Existing methods may have limitations in real-world integrated circuit manufacturing processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for quantitative electrostatic force measurement at the micro/nano scale.
• To investigate the dependence of electrostatic force on tip-sample distance and applied voltage.
• To compare the findings with established energy dissipation methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) with a novel voltage application strategy.
• Applying voltage to both the probe and sample electrode in an electrostatic chuck setup.
• Conducting theoretical analysis and numerical simulations based on experimental phase difference data.

Main Results:

• Established quantitative relationships for electrostatic force versus distance and voltage.
• Observed that electrostatic force decays with increasing distance.
• Found electrostatic force to be approximately proportional to the square of the applied voltage.
• Demonstrated consistency with energy dissipation methods, with errors decreasing at larger distances.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides a reliable way to measure micro/nano-scale electrostatic forces.
• The observed force dependencies align with macroscopic principles, validating their applicability at smaller scales.
• The study offers insights into optimizing electrostatic chucks and other micro/nano-scale electrostatic devices.