Electrochemical Etching of Tungsten for Fabrication of Sub-10-nm Tips with a Long Taper and a Large Shank

Abstract

From the perspective of maximizing the practicability of tungsten nano-tips, a sharp tip, long taper, and large shank are usually expected. However, simultaneously satisfying the requirements for tip radius, taper length, and shank diameter is theoretically impossible with the conventional drop-off tip fabrication method, which is based on lamellae electrochemical etching. In this study, a two-step etching method is proposed to fabricate a sub-10-nm tungsten tip directly from a 1-mm rod. First, a floating electrolyte-based drop-off process is carried out to fabricate a tungsten needle with a long length taper of 10 mm. Then, an inversed lamellae drop-off process is conducted to realize fine etching of the needlepoint. As a result, an ultra-sharp tungsten nano-tip with a radius of 5.5 nm and taper length of 10 mm is successfully fabricated from a 1-mm tungsten rod.