Encapsulated tips for reliable nanoscale conduction in scanning probe technologies.
Nanoscale tip apexes of conducting cantilever probes are important enablers for several conducting probe technologies that require reliable long-term operation, while preserving the nanoscale integrity of the tip apex. In this paper, the concept of an encapsulated tip with a nanoscale conducting core is presented. A method to fabricate such tips on conducting silicon microcantilevers is described. Long-term conduction and wear reliability of these nanoscale tips are evaluated systematically, and their ability to operate for sliding distances greater than 2 m in conduction and 11 m in wear on amorphous carbon is demonstrated. These results are expected to have an impact on the future of conducting probe-based technologies such as probe-based nanometrology, data storage and nanolithography.
Bhaskaran
Harish
H
IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Saumerstrasse 4, CH-8803 Rueschlikon, Switzerland.
Sebastian
Abu
A
Drechsler
Ute
U
Despont
Michel
M
D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008839:Microelectrodes; D020527:Microscopy, Scanning Probe / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D014159:Transducers