The Preparation And Application Study Of The Atomic Force Microscopy Carbon Nanotube Probe

Since the first carbon nanotube atomic force microscope probe (CNT probe) wasinvented in1996, the manufacturing and characterization study of CNT probe haveattracted many researchers’attention. Here, the CNT probe was systematically studiedincluding its manufacturing technics optimization and its technical difficulty in theapplication field. The CNT probe manufacturing process was concluded into attachingprocess and geometric parameters controlling process based on the nanoManipulatorsystem and the DualBeam system. Here, the goal of highly effective attaching processwas reached by optimizing the CNT carrier and the parameters of the SEM. Theefficiency of the electron beam induced deposition (EBID) was studied and it wasemployed to enhance the bonding strength between the CNT and the AFM Siliconprobe.The key geometric parameters of CNT probes which should be preciselycontrolled are angle and the straightness of the CNT, and the CNT length. Here, theFIB was employed to control the angle and the straightness of the CNT. Because FIBbombardment would induce damages in the CNT, the parameters of FIB should beoptimized to minish the induced damages. Besides, the length control withhigh-precision of CNT was obtained by using “nanoknife” technical.The image artifacts mechanism was systematically studied based on the AFMapplication and SEM in-situ observation, it was found that CNT probes withhigh-aspect-ratio would inevitably produce image artifacts because of their inferiorlateral stiffness and the nano-scale mechanical interaction between the CNT probe andthe sample. Then, the lateral stiffness enhancement technical was put forward andsystematically studied, it was found that it is an ideal method to enhance the lateralstiffness of the CNT without obvious morphology advantage degradation. Also, theoutstanding performance of property-enhanced CNT probes were used to scan thetypical structures fabricated by focused ion beam milling technology, and the CNTprobes could achieve the ideal gradient values which could be20°larger than that ofSi probes’.