The peculiarities of the local oxidation process of
ultrathin amorphous titanium films by scanning probe microscope
are discussed. It is shown that the tip-induced oxidation
process can be considered as electrochemical anodic oxidation.
A model of the tip-induced oxidation kinetics is proposed. It
is shown that film resistance, relative humidity, applied
voltage and duration of oxidation are effects on the rate and
resolution of the process. The possibility of formation of 8 nm
oxide patterns by tip-induced oxidation is demonstrated.
The results of investigations of , thin films as prospective materials for conductive SPM probes in a silicon cantilever are presented. The ultrathin (1.5-10 nm) films are characterized by high conductivity, increased adhesion to silicon and chemical passivity. It is shown by means of conductive SPM measurements that there is no dielectric layer on the film surface and the conductive metal-coated silicon cantilevers were wear-proof.
The possibility of the self-aligned formation of Pd/Pd2Si/Si nanostructures on a single-crystal silicon substrate is shown. A porous anodic oxide film of Al was used as a mask which determines the size and shape of the nanostructures. A thin Al film was first deposited on the silicon substrate and then transformed in a nanoporous oxide by the well known anodic treatment procedure in a sulfuric acid and water solution. It is shown by atomic force microscopy that nanoscale Pd clusters with diameters equal to the size of pores in anodic Al remain at the surface of silicon substrate after cathode deposition of Pd into the pores, vacuum thermal annealing and chemical etching of the Al2O3 mask. In addition, we determine the dependencies of the size and shape of the nanoclusters on the mask formation regimes and the Pd deposition conditions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.