Background-free piezoresponse force microscopy for quantitative measurements Available to Purchase

We report an effective method to remove the system-inherent background [Jungk et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 253511 (2007)] that is present in nominal piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) setup. Control experiments performed in both ambient and ultrahigh vacuum environments indicate that the system-inherent background probably originates from the interactions between the modulation voltage and surface absorptions. By minimizing such interactions, background-free PFM results were obtained on glass, α-quartz, hexagonal ErMnO₃, and periodically poled LiNbO₃. The removal of background signal allows quantitative measurements of local intrinsic piezoelectric response with high sensitivity $(≲0.1 pm/V)$⁠.