title: New fabrication technique for highly sensitive qPlus sensor with well-defined spring constant.
abstract: A new technique for the fabrication of highly sensitive qPlus sensor for atomic force microscopy (AFM) is described. The focused ion beam was used to cut then weld onto a bare quartz tuning fork a sharp micro-tip from an electrochemically etched tungsten wire. The resulting qPlus sensor exhibits high resonance frequency and quality factor allowing increased force gradient sensitivity. Its spring constant can be determined precisely which allows accurate quantitative AFM measurements. The sensor is shown to be very stable and could undergo usual UHV tip cleaning including e-beam and field evaporation as well as in situ STM tip treatment. Preliminary results with STM and AFM atomic resolution imaging at 4.5 K of the silicon Si(111)-7×7 surface are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2J1; National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9. Electronic address: hatem.labidi@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Hatem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Labidi
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kupsta
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2J1; National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Taleana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huff
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salomons
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vick
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2J1; National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taucer
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pitters
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2J1; National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2M9.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wolkow
keywords: Atomic force microscopy; Focused ion beam; QPlus sensor; Quantitative AFM; Scanning probe microscopy; Spring constant