Articles you may be interested inEffect of current compliance and voltage sweep rate on the resistive switching of HfO2/ITO/Invar structure as measured by conductive atomic force microscopy Appl. Phys. Lett.Achieving the full potential of nanopillar electrode based devices, such as next-generation solar cells, catalyst supports, and sensors, requires axial resistivity measurements to optimize electronic performance. Here, the authors demonstrate a technique for direct measurement of the ensemble electrical properties of nanopillar thin films along the structure's longitudinal axis. A cross-bridge Kelvin resistor architecture is adapted to accommodate an indium tin oxide (ITO) nanopillar thin film fabricated by glancing angle deposition (GLAD). As-deposited GLAD ITO nanopillars were found to have a measured resistivity of (1.1 6 0.3) Â 10 À2 X cm using our technique. Planar ITO films deposited at near normal incidence were found to have a resistivity of (4.5 6 0.5) Â 10 À3 X cm, determined by the standard four-point-probe technique. These measurements demonstrate the viability of this modified technique for nanopillar characterization, and identify experimental limitations related to device size and edge defects. [http://dx.