Development of Scanning Probe Microscope Integrated with Scanning Electron Microscope for Probe Fabrication

该项目的目的是建立一个仪器，将允许快速发展的锐利和特殊用途的尖端扫描探针显微镜。这种新型仪器集成了扫描探针显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和离子磨，用于制备、成像和使用探针尖端。特别令人感兴趣的是分解气体和液体薄膜以形成硬尖端、铁电尖端和磁尖端的过程。重要的是，现在几乎所有的扫描探针测量，特别是原子力显微镜，都受到尖端的限制。对于原子力显微镜来说，目前还没有一种仪器可以让研究人员进行快速尖端开发。这里提出的系统将允许超级尖端快速优化，这对原子力显微镜的许多用户来说是一个好处。

The objective of this project is to build an instrument that will allow rapid evolution of sharp and special purpose tips for scanning probe microscopes. This new instrument integrates a scanning probe microscope with a scanning electron microscope and ion mill for preparing, imaging and using probe tips. Of special interest are processes involving decomposition of gases and liquid films to form hard tips, ferroelectric tips, and magnetic tips. The significance is that almost all scanning probe measurements, expecially with the atomic force microscope, are limited now by the tip. For the atomic force microscope, there is no instrument presently available that allows researchers to do rapid tip development. The system proposed here will allow super tips to be optimized rapidly, a benefit to many users of the atomic force microscope.