Abstract

Electrostatic force detection with an atomic-force microscope (AFM) is applied to the study of light-induced charge gratings on photorefractive materials. In contrast to the conventional optical methods for the investigation of photorefractiv- ity where volume gratings of the refractive index are observed by light diffraction, the AFM allows a direct study of the charge distribution at the surface. Due to the high sensitivity (single electron detection) and unprecedented lateral resolution (30nm),theAFM offers a wealth of new pos sibilities for the investigation of photorefractive materials.^1,2

© 2002 Optical Society of America