Volume 23, Issue 3, April 2009

Clive J. Roberts, Laboratory of Biophysics and Surface Analysis, School of Pharmacy and the Nottingham Nanotechnology and Nanoscience Centre, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

Atomic force microscopy and other related probe microscopies such as scanning thermal microscopy are becoming an integral part of the development of solid-dosage medicines. Their combination of spatial resolution, quantitative local measurement and mapping of surface properties, the need for only minute quantities of material and the ability to operate in a range of relevant environments make these tools an attractive choice for the characterization and screening of pharmaceutical materials...

Christiane Nörenberg,^1,2 Sverre Myhra² and Peter Dobson¹, 1. Oxford University Begbroke Science Park, Yarnton, UK 2. Department of Materials, University of Oxford, UK

The performance of GaN-based devices, such as blue LEDs and laser diodes, relies on good metal-GaN contacts. The growth of Pd and Ni on the GaN(0001) surface has been studied using variable temperature UHVSTM. The atomic-scale STM images have been compared with tapping-mode AFM images and point I-V measurements using conductive AFM in order to correlate performance on the nanoscale and microscale...