Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio carbon nanocone probes by electron beam induced deposition patterning

A high-aspect-ratio cone-shaped carbon nanotube (CNT), which we refer to as a carbon nanocone (CNC), was fabricated for scanning probe microscopy (SPM) by a novel and reliable patterning technique and dc plasma chemical vapour deposition. Carbon dots from electron beam induced deposition (EBID) were utilized as convenient chemical-etch masks to create catalyst patterns for the growth of a single CNC probe on a tipless cantilever and an array of CNC probes on a silicon substrate. This resist-free EBID process is an efficient way of preparing a patterned catalyst and resultant nanoprobe on the specific edge location of the cantilever. The CNC probe produces high-resolution images of specimens in air as well as in liquid. No degradation in imaging performance was observed after a period of continuous scanning. The CNC bed-of-nails array imaged in contact mode by a commercial Si3N4 probe demonstrates the mechanical toughness/sturdiness of the CNC tip. This also indicates the possibility of using the CNC bed-of-nails as a convenient means for the characterization of SPM tips.