Scanning Probe Microscopy with Diamond Tip in Tribo-nanolithography
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Scanning Probe Microscopy with Diamond Tip in Tribo-nanolithography
Oleg Lysenko1, Vladimir Grushko, Evgeni Mitskevich and Athanasios Mamalis 2 1
Institute for Superhard Materials, Kiev, Ukraine
2
Project Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Engineering, NCSR “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
ABSTRACT The results obtained by direct nano-patterning demonstrate the potential of the SPM-based techniques that include surface scratching to create 3D nanostructures. Such techniques became known as tribo-nanolithography and have prospects of being successfully implemented in the future nanofabrication industry. An important obstacle to this, however, is the effect of wear at the nanometer scale which is critical to the stability of tribo-nanolithoraphic processes. Such stability is achievable via in-depth theoretical and experimental studies of friction at the nanoscale along with the development of pioneering equipment. Our work presents the results of experimental fabrication of nanostructures formed by nanoscratching with the use of the multifunctional scanning tunneling microscopy previously developed by the authors. The authors attempted scratching the silicon surface by using a boron-doped diamond tip. This operation was undertaken in the same direction sequentially with the tip sliding a side of the groove by one of the tip’s facets and the consequent surface scanning. Although not being applicable to non-conductive surfaces, the proposed technique has significant advantages. One advantage is related to the high stiffness of the tunneling probe as compared to the stiffness of the AFM cantilever. High stiffness and perpendicularity of the tip to the surface during surface processing eliminates bending beam effects on the typical AFM and ensures machining effectiveness. Purposely synthesized boron-doped single-crystal diamonds were used as a tip material. The results of experimental fabrication of nanostructures formed by nanoscratching with the use of the multifunctional scanning probe are demonstrated and discussed. INTRODUCTION Normally SPM involves scanning the surface of the sample with minimal (if any) effect on it, and, as a result, forming an image, either of the surface profile or of the distribution of certain physical parameters over the surface. However, the SPM is also able to “actively” affect the surface with the probe and change its characteristics. One such method is nanolithography, in which certain structures with nanometer or even atomic size can be formed on the surface [1-5]. Usually such structures are placed on-surface and, therefore are mechanically and/or thermally sensitive and often require special environmental conditions. SPM-fabricated in-depth structures are more stable and protected. These structures can be obtained by the tribo-nanolithography method [7-9], which involves nanomechanical surface processing. This method of “active” on-surface operations uses SPM as a machine for nanomechanical surface modification. In [10-14] nanomechanical processing methods like cutting hard materia
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