SCM) is a contact mode variant of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in which changes in tip–sample capacitance are imaged simultaneously with surface topography. Samples for SCM analysis are generally covered with a thin insulating layer that serves as the capacitance dielectric between the tip and sample. The spatially mapped capacitance variations can be attributed to changes in the dielectric thickness, changes in the dielectric constant, or variation in the local charge carrier density underneath the dielectric. In the most typical application of SCM, which is the characterization of semiconductor devices, capacitance variations are converted via a theoretical model into a dopant concentration profile in the semiconductor underneath the dielectric.