Sputter coating atomic force microscope cantilevers for various research applications
Date
2000-12
Authors
Wiederhold, Kevin P.
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Abstract
The atomic force microscope is used in a variety of ways to examine the atomic-scale physical properties of materials. We have used our AFM for capacitance imaging and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) modeling. Capacitance imaging allows us to effectively image the local dielectric properties of materials. By modeling atomic scale CMP mechanisms we can gain insight to some of the “black-art” of this science. Operating this instrument in these ways requires the use of specialized cantilever tips. For our capacitance imaging we fabricated a tip that is both durable and conductive by coating the standard silicon oxide AFM cantilevers with titanium nitride. Cantilevers were also fabricated for our atomic-scale CMP modeling application using certain specialized materials such as aluminum oxide. These coated tips were fabricated using our DC Magnetron Sputtering System. After the cantilever chips were coated, they were analyzed in order to determine their physical properties. From this research we have shown that is possible for small research groups to effectively and cost-consciously sputter-coat microfabricated AFM cantilevers for specific research applications.
Description
Keywords
atomic force microscopy, sputtering, dielectrics
Citation
Wiederhold, K. P. (2000). Sputter coating atomic force microscope cantilevers for various research applications (Unpublished thesis). Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.