Abstract
We report on the fabrication and performance of a new kind of tip for scanning tunneling microscopy. By fully incorporating a metallic tip on a silicon chip using modern micromachining and nanofabrication techniques, we realize so-called smart tips and show the possibility of device-based STM tips. Contrary to conventional etched metal wire tips, these can be integrated into lithographically defined electrical circuits. We describe a new fabrication method to create a defined apex on a silicon chip and experimentally demonstrate the high performance of the smart tips, both in stability and resolution. In situ tip preparation methods are possible and we verify that they can resolve the herringbone reconstruction and Friedel oscillations on Au(111) surfaces. We further present an overview of possible applications.
Highlights
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a leading tools for probing electronic and topographic information at the atomic scale [1]
We report on the fabrication and performance of a new kind of tip for scanning tunneling microscopy
New platform, which we call smart tip, allows in principle to directly add additional capabilities to a STM tip, including novel spin-sensitivity, local heating, local magnetic fields, local gating, high-frequency compatible coplanar waveguides, qubits, and double-tips. It is a priori unclear whether a nanofabricated tip will function for STM measurements, as several challenges arise: the stability needs to be below the picometer scale, stringent requirements exist on the shape and sharpness of the freestanding tip, and contamination from fabrication residues need to be absent
Summary
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a leading tools for probing electronic and topographic information at the atomic scale [1]. By fully incorporating a metallic tip on a silicon chip using modern micromachining and nanofabrication techniques, we realize so-called smart tips and show the possibility of device-based STM tips. We describe a new fabrication method to create a defined apex on a silicon chip and experimentally demonstrate the high performance of the smart tips, both in stability and resolution.
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