Microfabricated small metal cantilevers with silicon tip for atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy with small cantilevers is faster due to higher reso nant frequencies and has a lower noise level, We report a new process to mi crofabricate small metal cantilevers with integrated silicon tips. This pro cess is used to fabricate gold cantilevers that are 13-40-mu m long, 5-10-m u m wide, and 100-160-nm thick. The tip is first formed at the free end of a sacrificial oxide cantilever, The cantilever layer of the desired metal i s then deposited on the nontip side of the sacrificial oxide cantilever, Th e oxide layer is removed to form the cantilevers with tips on them in a bat ch process, The highly stressed cantilevers are rapid thermal annealed for 60 s at 300 degrees C to relieve the stress. The gold cantilevers have been characterized through their thermal spectra and used to image in tapping m ode. The process can be used, not only for gold, but also for any metal or compound that can withstand removal of sacrificial oxide cantilevers, [465] .