Abstract: A method determines the carrier lifetime in a point of a surface of a sample, and includes in absence of illumination, measuring, at the point, a parameter P via atomic force microscopy technique (AFM) to obtain a value Pdark. The point is illuminated with a continuous light beam and the parameter P is measured, at the point, via AFM to obtain a value Psat. The point is successively illuminated with continuous modulated light beams each having a different frequency ft that varies between a minimum frequency fmin and a maximum frequency fmax, with the modulated light beams having a duty cycle D. For each modulated light beam, the parameter P is measured, at the point, via AFM in such a way as to obtain a value Ptransi for each frequency fi. The carrier lifetime is calculated on point with the values of Psat, Pdark, the duty cycle D, and fmax.

Abstract: A method for determining the carrier lifetime in a point of a surface of a sample, includes in absence of illumination, measuring, at the point, a parameter P via atomic force microscopy technique to obtain a value Pdark; illuminating the point with a continuous light beam; measuring, at the point, the parameter P via the atomic force microscopy technique to obtain a value Psat; successively illuminating the point with continuous modulated light beams each having a different frequency fi, the frequency fi varying between a minimum frequency fmin and a maximum frequency fmax, with the modulated light beams having a duty cycle D; for each modulated light beam, measuring, at the point, the parameter P via the atomic force microscopy technique in such a way as to obtain a value Ptransi for each frequency fi; and calculating the carrier lifetime on point by using the following formula: ? = x 0 2 2 + x 0 ? ( D - 1 ) - K S ( P sat - P dark ) - ( 1 + D ) ? f max