title: Effect of etchant diffusion on tip profiles of glass fiber probes.
abstract: The tips of the probes are the key components in scanning probe microscopes and their applications in nano-scale imaging and nanofabrications. We investigated first the change of near-field scanning optical microscopy probe tips from optical fiber against time by chemical static etching. Several coverlayer-hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution systems and their possible factors affecting the tips' profile were studied. Tips with shorter tapers, larger conical aperture angles, and reproducible shapes were successfully obtained in high yields. It was found that the taper profiles were affected to a great extent by the one-dimensional linear diffusion of etchants in the coverlayer caused by concentration gradients and convection.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, P R China.
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yihong
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhiyong
authors.forename: Yibin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Gu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Wesche
mesh_terms: D004058:Diffusion; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry*; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D020527:Microscopy, Scanning Probe / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014159:Transducers
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents; C009753:fiberglass; D006858:Hydrofluoric Acid