Fabrication of small diamond tips for scanning probe microscopy application

Abstract

A process for the fabrication of diamond cantilevers integrated on a silicon wafer is presented. At one end the cantilevers possess a tip with a small radius of curvature thus allowing their use in scanning probe microscopy applications. The influence of various procedures to enhance diamond nucleation of the properties of the tips is investigated. Ultrasonic pretreatment with 1 μm diamond paste and subsequent hot-filament chemical-vapor deposition turned out to yield the best results. Micro-Raman measurements show the tips to consist of stress-free diamond up to their very apex.