Abstract
A novel method for the direct growth of a single carbon nanofiber (CNF) onto the tip of a commercially available scanning probe microscope (SPM) using Ar+-ion irradiation was demonstrated. This method was proposed on the basis of the experimental fact that the Ar+ ion bombardment of carbon coated substrates induced the formation of conical protrusions that possessed a single CNF at their tip. Commercially available Si SPM tips were coated with carbon and then were Ar+-ion bombarded at room temperature and at 200°C. On the ion-bombarded SPM tips, single CNFs of about 30 nm in diameter grew. Their length, which was controlled by varying the sputtering duration, was typically 0.5-1.5 μm. Using the CNF-tipped probes thus prepared, clear atomic force microscope (AFM) images with a high spatial resolution were attained for Si-grating samples. No deterioration in the spatial resolution was detected after repeated scans for 90 min. Thus, the ion-irradiation method was concluded to be quite promising for the fabrication of practical CNF-tipped SPM probes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2004-2008 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Part 1: Regular Papers and Short Notes and Review Papers |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 3 B |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2006 Mar 27 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- CNF-probe
- Carbon nanofiber (CNF)
- Scanning probe microscope (SPM)
- Sputtering
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Engineering(all)
- Physics and Astronomy(all)