Si nano-wire SPM probe grown by field evaporation with UHV STM

Fabrication techniques of a sharp Si tip onto a cantilever have been developed by using an ultra-high-vacuum scanning tunneling microscope/atomic force microscope (UHV-STM/AFM). The growth of Si tip was performed by applying a voltage at a constant current between a Si substrate and the cantilever. It is considered that Si atoms on the substrate were field evaporated, and deposited onto the cantilever with this procedure. The sharp Si tip was successfully grown when 3000 angstroms gold coated cantilever was used. The presence of gold atoms is important role for the Si growth, because the Si tip wasn't grown on the clean Si cantilever by using a gold-free Si substrate. The cantilever that formed the tip may be useful for scanning probe microscope (SPM) as a microprobe.