Wear-resistant diamond nanoprobe tips with integrated silicon heater for tip-based nanomanufacturing.
We report exceptional nanoscale wear and fouling resistance of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) tips integrated with doped silicon atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers. The resistively heated probe can reach temperatures above 600 degrees C. The batch fabrication process produces UNCD tips with radii as small as 15 nm, with average radius 50 nm across the entire wafer. Wear tests were performed on substrates of quartz, silicon carbide, silicon, or UNCD. Tips were scanned for more than 1 m at a scan speed of 25 mum s(-1) at temperatures ranging from 25 to 400 degrees C under loads up to 200 nN. Under these conditions, silicon tips are partially or completely destroyed, while the UNCD tips exhibit little or no wear, no signs of delamination, and exceptional fouling resistance. We demonstrate nanomanufacturing of more than 5000 polymer nanostructures with no deterioration in the tip.
Fletcher
Patrick C
PC
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, USA.
Felts
Jonathan R
JR
Dai
Zhenting
Z
Jacobs
Tevis D
TD
Zeng
Hongjun
H
Lee
Woo
W
Sheehan
Paul E
PE
Carlisle
John A
JA
Carpick
Robert W
RW
King
William P
WP
D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D018130:Diamond / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D017276:Friction; D006361:Heating / Q000295:instrumentation*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010316:Particle Size; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D018511:Systems Integration; D014159:Transducers
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D018130:Diamond; D012825:Silicon