Sideband Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) uses the intermodulation of an electrostatic drive force and a mechanical drive force to upconvert the electrostatic frequency to the first flexural resonance, where the high-quality factor of the resonance yields a more sensitive measurement. The sideband KPFM signal is calculated using a local interaction between the tip apex and the sample, rather than a total interaction between the cantilever and the sample, improving the spatial resolution over other technique variations. This paper covers the sideband KPFM details, including trade-offs and imaging of semi-fluorinated alkanes, such as F14H20, and self-assembled molecular nanostructures.
