We present the design and fabrication of an improved probe for scanning gate microscopy (SGM). Like our previously reported design, the new probe integrates a coaxial tip to produce highly localized electric fields and a piezoresistor to self-sense tip deflection. However, the new design achieves a vertical displacement resolution of 3.7Å in a 10 kHz bandwidth, enabling the study of both topography and electron organization of semiconductor nanostructures with sub-nanometer features. The design is based on a numerical optimizer for force-sensing piezoresistive cantilevers, which we have extended for SGM.

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Height control feedback is essential for scanning microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) because it regulates the tip-sample interaction, prevents tip crashes, and provides topographic information on the sample surface. We designed and fabricated piezoresistive cantilever probes to enable simultaneous topographic and electrical imaging. The piezoresistive sensitivity is 2 nm for a bandwidth of 10 kHz. High quality piezoresistive topography and MIM images are simultaneously obtained with the fabricated probes at ambient and cryogenic temperatures. These new piezoresistive probes remarkably broaden the horizon of MIM for scientific applications by operating with an integrated feedback mechanism in a low temperature system and for photosensitive samples. Batch fabricated probes with piezoresistors integrated on the cantilever Topography and MIM scanning results at room temperature Topography and MIM scanning results at cryogenic temperature

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