Fabrication of Novel Cantilever with Nanotip for AFM Applications

As a first step to realize novel cantilevers to be used in the atomic force microscopy (AFM), we have fabricated a Poly-Si cantilever with enhanced high-aspect-ratio nanotips. The tips with well controlled dimensions are fabricated by crossed spacer technology and the flexibility of the cantilever and the nanotips according to demand can be easily realized by designing the pattern and tuning the etching time in the fabrication process. The tips on the cantilever, with 1.2 mu m height, have a high aspect ratio of 7:1. This nanotip on the cantilevers can not only be used as an AFM probe, it can also be extended to any two-dimensional nanotip arrays to be widely used in biomedical field such as biomedical specimen micro-extractions and transportations.Engineering, Electrical & ElectronicPhysics, AppliedEICPCI-S(ISTP)