Fast and reliable method of conductive carbon nanotube-probe fabrication for scanning probe microscopy

Abstract

We demonstrate the procedure of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) conductive probe fabrication with a single multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) on a silicon cantilever pyramid. The nanotube bundle reliably attached to the metal-covered pyramid is formed using dielectrophoresis technique from the MWNT suspension. It is shown that the dimpled aluminum sample can be used both for shortening/modification of the nanotube bundle by applying pulse voltage between the probe and the sample and for controlling the probe shape via atomic force microscopy imaging the sample. Carbon nanotube attached to cantilever covered with noble metal is suitable for SPM imaging in such modulation regimes as capacitance contrast microscopy, Kelvin probe microscopy, and scanning gate microscopy. The majority of such probes are conductive with conductivity not degrading within hours of SPM imaging.

Influence of scanning rate on quality of AFM image: Study of surface statistical metrics

“…Nevertheless, there is a periodic structure on the surface. Such periodical structures are also useful for study of the tip‐surface geometrical contact (Dremov, Fedoseev, Fedorov, & Grebenko, ). Sample 1 has cubic structures on the surface, Sample 2 represents some peaks with sharp ends, and Sample 3 has parallel lines on the surface.…”

Rational design of highly efficient flexible and transparent p-type composite electrode based on single-walled carbon nanotubes

“…The Hertz model [81] was used to estimate the tip-surface contact area at the extremum applied force as where Rtip is the tip apex radius and h is the deformation. Within this model it is assumed that the tip apex is a rigid sphere of a certain radius Rtip, which was measured on the dimpled aluminum substrate [82], the CNT surface is elastic half space, and the strain is in the elastic limit. The surface roughness is neglected.…”

Review: Cantilever-Based Sensors for High Speed Atomic Force Microscopy

“…They were able to achieve probe lengths up to 1500 nm with a tip radius of less than 2 nm [ 205 ]. Dremov and his co-workers demonstrated the fabrication of robust, conductive microcantilever tips suitable for scanning contrast or Kelvin probe force microscopy using a single multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) by employing dielectrophoresis technique from the MWCNT suspension [ 206 ].…”