All-metal AFM probes fabricated from microstructurally tailored Cu-Hf thin films

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Atomic force microscope (AFM) applications increasingly use metal-coated probes.
• Probe metallization presents challenges like stress, thermal mismatch, increased tip radius, and reduced lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overcome limitations of metal-coated AFM probes through microstructural design.
• To fabricate monostructural all-metal AFM cantilevers from metallic glass thin films.

Main Methods:

• Compositional study of co-sputtered Cu-Hf films using XRD, nanoindentation, four-point probe, and in situ MOSS.
• Development of a continuum model to predict cantilever warping using MOSS data.
• Microfabrication of Cu-Hf AFM probes.

Main Results:

• Metallic glass Cu(90)Hf(10) films exhibit optimal electrical resistivity (96 microOmega cm), hardness (5.2 GPa), ductility, and incremental stress.
• Fabrication of uncurled, 1 micrometer thick cantilevers (100-400 micrometers long) with tip radii of 10-40 nm.
• Successful imaging of a test structure using the fabricated all-metal Cu-Hf AFM probes.

Conclusions:

• Monostructural all-metal AFM cantilevers fabricated from metallic glass offer a solution to the drawbacks of traditional metal-coated probes.
• The developed microstructural design and fabrication process enable high-performance, durable AFM probes.