Scanning microscopic four-point conductivity probes

A method for fabricating microscopic four-point probes is presented. The method uses silicon-based microfabrication technology involving only two patterning steps. The last step in the fabrication process is an unmasked deposition of the conducting probe material, and it is thus possible to select the conducting material either for a silicon wafer or a single probe unit. Using shadow masking photolithography an electrode spacing (pitch) down to 1.1 mum was obtained, with cantilever separation down to 200 run. Characterisation measurements have shown the microscopic probes to be mechanically very flexible and robust. Repeated conductivity measurements on polythiophene films in the same surface area are reproduced within an accuracy of 3%. Automated nanoresolution position control allows scanning across millimetre sized areas, in order to create high spatial resolution maps of the in-plane conductivity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.