Title: Effective lateral stiffness enhancement of high-aspect-ratio carbon nanotube probe

Authors: Haifeng Gao; Zongwei Xu; Lihua Xu; Xiaodong Xing

Addresses: State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 92# Weijin Road, Tianjin, China ' State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 92# Weijin Road, Tianjin, China ' State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 92# Weijin Road, Tianjin, China ' State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, Centre of MicroNano Manufacturing Technology, Tianjin University, 92# Weijin Road, Tianjin, China

Abstract: This article systematically studied the generation mechanism of image artefacts in the case of the high-aspect-ratio carbon nanotube (CNT) atomic force microscopy probe. The scanning electronic microscope online nanomanipulation technology was used to investigate the generation mechanism then the strategy of site-specified electron beam induced deposition of platinum was proposed to enhance the lateral stiffness of CNT probes without obvious morphology advantage degradation. This technology was found effective for avoiding the image artefacts and technical parameters including the deposition dose and deposition model were optimised. Also, the outstanding performance of property-enhanced CNT probes were used to scan the typical structures fabricated by focused ion beam milling technology, it was found the CNT probes could achieve the ideal gradient values which could be 20° larger than that of Si probe.

Keywords: high-aspect-ratio CNT probes; EBID; electron beam induced deposition; lateral stiffness; carbon nanotubes; atomic force microscopy; AFM probes; nanomanipulation; nanotechnology; deposition dose; deposition model; focused ion beam milling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2013.052885

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2013 Vol.9 No.1, pp.87 - 97

Received: 01 Sep 2012
Accepted: 03 Oct 2012
Published online: 31 Mar 2014 *

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