Thermal maps of gold micro-stripes obtained using scanning force microscopy

In this paper two ways of measuring current maps on gold micro-stripes on a nanometric scale are shown. In the first one, an alternating current is applied to the stripe and the thermal expansion of the tip-sample system is registered by the cantilever. In the second one, maps of adhesion of the surface are acquired simultaneously with the topography. The adhesion force map varies with the temperature because it depends mainly on the water meniscus between tip and sample, and the size of the meniscus depends on the temperature.