QMKPFM
Quantum approach to modelling high resolution Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy
This is a project funded by European Union via European Research Council under project no. 854060. One of the main output of the project is this KPFM_sim code, that allows for (automated) calculation of the non-contact Atomic Force Microscopy (nc-AFM) and (still non-contact) Kelvin Probe Force Microcopy (KPFM) on a Density Functional Theory (DFT) level.
The project was (most) active in between 1/2020 -- 3/2022 .
Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is one of the latest scanning probe microscopy techniques that uses a very sharp tip to measure the electrostatic forces and charge transfer on the surface of a sample. However, the theory that underlies such measurements and all physical interactions between the tip and the sample are not well understood, especially in very close scans. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme, the QMKPFM project will use density functional theory calculations to reveal the unknown physics of close KPFM scans. The work will enable researchers to derive additional information about the composition of the local structures on the surface of a sample.