Detecting band profiles of devices with conductive atomic force microscopy

Band profiles of electronic devices are of fundamental importance in determining their properties. A technique that can map the band profile of both the interior and edges of a device at the nanometer scale is highly demanded. Conventional scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) can map band structure at the atomic scale but is limited to the interior of large and conductive samples. Here, we develop contact-mode STS based on a conductive atomic force microscope that can remove these constraints. With this technique, we map the band profile of MoS₂ transistors with nanometer resolution at room temperature. A band bending of 0.6 eV within 18 nm of the edges of MoS₂ on an insulating substrate is discovered. This technique will be of great use for both fundamental and applied studies of various electronic devices.