Wear-Resistant Diamond Nanoprobe Tips with Integrated Silicon Heater for Tip-Based Nanomanufacturing

Abstract

We report exceptional nanoscale wear and fouling resistance of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) tips integrated with doped silicon atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers. The resistively heated probe can reach temperatures above 600 degrees C. The batch fabrication process produces UNCD tips with radii as small as 15 nm, with average radius 50 nm across the entire wafer. Wear tests were performed on substrates of quartz, silicon carbide, silicon, or UNCD. Tips were scanned for more than 1 m at a scan speed of 25 mum s(-1) at temperatures ranging from 25 to 400 degrees C under loads up to 200 nN. Under these conditions, silicon tips are partially or completely destroyed, while the UNCD tips exhibit little or no wear, no signs of delamination, and exceptional fouling resistance. We demonstrate nanomanufacturing of more than 5000 polymer nanostructures with no deterioration in the tip.

Evaluating Broader Impacts of Nanoscale Thermal Transport Research

“…The deposited features can be as small as about 10 nm and as large as several micrometers. Recent advances in the fabrication of diamond tips allows for extremely low tip wear, such that the tip can scan over a surface for several meters [246,247]. The mass flow rate from the tip onto the substrate, as well as the geometry of the final deposited structure, depend on the magnitude of the temperature gradient, Laplace pressure due to the tip curvature, and the solidification of the molten material [234].…”

High Precision Electrohydrodynamic Printing of Polymer Onto Microcantilever Sensors

“…New sensor platforms that detect multiple analytes on one microcantilever can utilize e-jet printing to deposit multiple functional materials onto specific locations. The e-jet printing technique can be applied to print polymer onto cantilever tips for tip-based manufacturing [31], [32]. In addition it can be used to print polymer in organic electronics, novel material fabrication, and onto micromechanical devices used in nanofabrication and material characterization.…”

Improved Nanotopography Sensing via Temperature Control of a Heated Atomic Force Microscope Cantilever

“…Temperature-dependent nanotribology can also be studied in detail using such temperature control schemes [23][24]. Other applications include the ability to make far more accurate fundamental heat transfer and material property measurements [25].…”