Development of Si/SiO₂ Multilayer Type AFM Tip Characterizers

Abstract

A new type of AFM tip characterizer used for characterizing nanostructures in the 10 nm to 100 nm range was developed. The characterizer was fabricated by preferential etching the edge of a cross sectioned Si/SiO 2 multilayer. Both isolated line structures and line-and-space structures were fabricated. The structural and practical properties of the fabricated tip characterizer were evaluated, and it was shown that it can be used to characterize AFM tip shapes in the 10 nm to 100 nm range.

Improved Atomic Force Microscopy Stiffness Measurements of Nanoscale Liposomes by Cantilever Tip Shape Evaluation

“…The cantilevers had a 0.09 N/m nominal spring constant, a nominal tip radius < 15 nm, and a nominal tip angle < 35°. Because of the fabrication process for the AS100P-D grating, the sidewall angles of the line structures were assumed to be exactly 90°. , The AS100P-D was mounted on a slide glass with double-stick tape and AFM images of line structures with 52 ± 2.1 nm widths and 125 ± 25 nm heights (manufacturer specifications) were obtained in air at 25 °C by means of the QI mode of a JPK Nanowizard Ultra Speed microscope, equipped with the JPK Data Processing Software v.6.0 (JPK Instruments AG, Berlin, Germany). Prior to taking measurements, the force constant of the cantilever was calibrated by the thermal noise method. , The AFM images were obtained at three different regions for every cantilever at a resolution <0.5 nm/pixel, at a set point of 0.10 nN, a 300 nm z -length, and an extend/retract speed of 150 μm/s.…”

“…Alternatively, the nonblind tip reconstruction (NBTR) AFM method to evaluate tip shape uses a tip characterizer with isolated line structures having specified widths and 90° sidewall angles. , In the NBTR method, the tip shape can be easily reconstructed from two-dimensional AFM scans by subtracting the known width from the two-dimensional profile of the imaged line structure. , Although the NBTR method does not yield 3D images of tip shapes, it is valuable because commercial tip characterizers can be used, the measurement can be done with less scanning, and complex algorithms or software are not needed. Despite its simplicity, there have been no previous reports that used NBTR for precise AFM measurements of nanoscale liposome stiffness.…”

Tip characterization method using multi-feature characterizer for CD-AFM

“…(101.6 mm) Si wafer. Two wafers are bonded using a surface activated bonding method [8] and [9]. This increases the number of layers available.…”

“…Although some of the techniques use procedures that do not require physical artifacts (tip characterizer), methods used for highly accurate and traceable dimensional measurements do. One such characterizer is a multi-feature sample known as the comb tip characterizer [8], [9], [10] and [11]. Multi-feature refers to the presence of multiple tip characterizer features on the sample.…”

Μελέτη Βιοϋλικών Με Απεικονιστική Μικροσκοπία Ατομικής Δύναμης

“…Υπολογισ οί τέτοιου είδους πορούν να πραγ ατοποιηθούν ε τεχνικές SEM, κάτι ό ως που θα αυξήσει το κόστος του απαιτού ενος εξοπλισ ού. Εναλλακτικά, πορούν να χρησι οποιηθούν AFM tip characterizers [203] οι οποίοι παρέχουν γενικές πληροφορίες για το σχή α και το έγεθος της ακίδας, χωρίς ό ως να παρέχουν ικανοποιητική ακρίβεια συγκριτικά ε τις ετρήσεις SEM. Επίσης, αποτελεί γεγονός ότι και στις δύο περιπτώσεις υπάρχει αύξηση του κόστους του απαιτού ενο εξοπλισ ού.…”