Abstract
In this paper we present results on the stability and lateralresolution capability of carbon nanotube (CNT) scanning probesas applied to atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface topographyimages of ultra-thin films (2-5 nm thickness) obtained with AFMare used to illustrate the lateral resolution capability ofsingle-walled carbon nanotube probes. Images of metal filmsprepared by ion beam sputtering exhibit grain sizes ranging fromgreater than 10 nm to as small as ~2 nm for gold andiridium respectively. In addition, the imaging stability andlifetime of multi-walled carbon nanotube scanning probes arestudied on a relatively hard surface of silicon nitride(Si3N4). AFM images of the Si3N4 surface collected after more than 15 h of continuous scanning show nodetectable degradation in lateral resolution. These resultsindicate the general feasibility of CNT tips and scanning probemicroscopy for examining nanometre-scale surface features ofdeposited metals as well as non-conductive thin films. AFMcoupled with CNT tips offers a simple and nondestructivetechnique for probing a variety of surfaces, and has immense potential as a surface characterization tool in integratedcircuit manufacture.
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