Radiant energy – Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles
Patent
1991-10-25
1992-11-17
Berman, Jack I.
Radiant energy
Inspection of solids or liquids by charged particles
324158P, H01J 3726
Patent
active
051645955
ABSTRACT:
A method of fabricating a double-tapered scanning tunneling microscope comprises (a) immersing one end of the tip in a bath of an acidic aqueous etchant solution containing an alkaline earth salt, with the wire positioned substantially perpendicularly to the surface of the solution; and (b) etching the wire at about 25 volts root mean squared (rms) alternating current (ac) until a double-tapered tip is formed thereon. The etching step is preferably followed by a polishing step which comprises (c) providing a thin film of a second acidic aqueous etchant solution containing an alkaline earth salt; then (d) contacting said electrode tip to the thin film: and then (e) etching the tip at about 2 volts rms ac to thereby polish the tip.
Also disclosed is a method of inhibiting the formation of carbon on a scanning tunneling microscope tip which comprises (a) positioning a wire in an etchant solution and then (b) etching the wire while excluding carbon dioxide therefrom.
Double-tapered scanning tunneling microscope tip comprises of an elongate wire and methods of using the same are also disclosed.
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Musselman Inga H.
Russell Phillip E.
Berman Jack I.
Beyer James
North Carolina State University
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