High-percentage success method for preparing and pre-evaluating tungsten tips for atomic-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy

A custom double-lamella method is presented for electrochemically etching tungsten wire for use as tips in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). For comparison, tips were also manufactured in-house using numerous conventional methods and examined using an optical microscope. Both sets of tips were us...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures 2012-05, Vol.30 (3), p.033201-033201-5
Main Authors: Schoelz, James K., Xu, Peng, Barber, Steven D., Qi, Dejun, Ackerman, Matthew L., Basnet, Gobind, Cook, Cameron T., Thibado, Paul M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A custom double-lamella method is presented for electrochemically etching tungsten wire for use as tips in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). For comparison, tips were also manufactured in-house using numerous conventional methods and examined using an optical microscope. Both sets of tips were used to obtain STM images of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, the quality of which varied. The clarity of the STM images was found to be correlated to the optically measured cone angle of the STM tip, with larger cone angles consistently producing atomically resolved images. The custom etching procedure described allows one to create larger cone angles and consequently proved superior in reliably producing high-quality tips.
ISSN:2166-2746
1520-8567
2166-2754
DOI:10.1116/1.3701977