Calibration of the in-plane PFM response by the lateral force curves

Calibration technique for lateral piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) based on lateral force curves measurements is introduced and discussed in terms of relative error connected with experimental realization. Dependences of lateral calibration coefficient on the tip motion velocity, normal loading force, humidity environment, and position of laser spot on the cantilever beam are considered. The maximal error of the measurements does not exceed 10%, which is close to the error of typical vertical PFM signal calibration based on force-distance curves. Proposed calibration technique is easy and accurate, which is important for the future development of quantitative PFM method.