Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) probe microscopy tips were grown by a surface growth chemical vapor deposition method. Tips consisting of individual SWNTs (1.5-4 nm in diameter) and SWNT bundles (4-12 nm in diameter) have been prepared by design through variations in the catalyst and growth conditions. In addition to high-resolution imaging, these tips have been used to fabricate SWNT nanostructures by spatially controlled deposition of specific length segments of the nanotube tips. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)02821-7].