Thermally-limited cancellation-free microwave impedance microscopy with monolithic silicon cantilever probes

Microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) is an emerging scanning probe technique for nanoscale complex permittivity mapping. To date, the two most significant hurdles that limit its widespread use are the requirements of high-precision cancellation circuits and specialized microwave probes. In this talk, I will show that neither is required for high-performance MIM. We demonstrate thermal-noise-limited, drift- and background-free MIM operation with minimal topography crosstalk and unprecedented sensitivity of ~zF, using silicon cantilever probes, without cancellation. Our approach makes MIM drastically more accessible and paves the way for more advanced modes and its integration with other techniques requiring high-performance silicon-based probes.