Diamond tips and cantilevers for the characterization of semiconductor devices

Highly boron doped diamond tips on diamond cantilevers have been prepared b y means of the moulding technique and been tested for applications in scann ing probe microscopy measurements for the characterization of semiconductor devices. Tips doped with ca 1% boron show a resistivity of some 10(-3) Ohm cm; their radius of curvature is ca 20 nm. With respect to wear resistance , they are superior to either nitride probes also fabricated by the mouldin g technique or to tapping mode silicon tips. Finally, first measurements re vealed the suitability of such probes for applications in scanning spreadin g resistance microscopy, scanning capacitance microscopy and nanopotentiome try measurements. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.