In situ metal tip sharpening of scanning probe microscopes. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This article demonstrated a new approach for fabrication and sharpening of metal tips of scanning probe microscopes. Experimentally, a metal tip was heated and melted by a focused laser light. The tip was then sharpened by a strong electric field and consolidated as the laser was turned off. With a low-vacuum and a high-voltage source, a 25-m indium-coated platinum wire was sharpened to a tip with diameters below 50nm. The minimal tip radius by this method is estimated to be below 1nm. With this technique, in situ tip sharpening for SPM would be possible.

published proceedings

  • Scanning

author list (cited authors)

  • Yang, W., Zhang, H., Kim, C., Butta, N., Liang, H., & Hemmer, P. R.

citation count

  • 1

complete list of authors

  • Yang, Wenlong||Zhang, Huiliang||Kim, Changdong||Butta, Nakul||Liang, Hong||Hemmer, Philip R

publication date

  • February 2012

publisher