Nanotip Fabrication

Binh, V. T., and Garcia, N. (1992). On the electron and metallic ion emission from nanotips fabricated by field-surface-melting technique experiments on W and Au tips. Ultramicroscopy, 42-44, 80-90. 

Imperfections that are inherent to all of the discussed test structures are minimized partially in case of application of porous anodic alumina. It is known that anodic alumina has sharp pore edges [4]. Therefore it may be used as tiplike grating. In order to combine the benefits of porous anodic alumina and a nanoscale tip array a one-step electrochemical approach is used to fabricate nanoscale alumina tips (tip-like anodic alumina) [5]. However, a curvature radius of pore edges or alumina nanotips of these structures is too high for ultrasharp SPM tip characterization. 

FIGURE 1.22 (a) Schematic of carbon deposition for fabrication of a dual carbon nanotip. 

Noticeably, the nanofabrication approach was also successful for the fabrication of the SECM-SICM nanotips based on heat-pulled nanopipettes [144,183,184]. For instance, a heat-pulled nanopipette was coated with gold, insulated by the atomic layer deposition of aluminum oxide, and milled by FIB technology to expose a 100-nm-diameter nanopore next to a gold nanoelectrode with an effective radius of 294 nm (Figure 1.31c) [183], Similarly, an SECM-SICM nanotip was... 

D. Saya, T. Leichle, J. B. Pourciel, C. Bergaud, and L. Nicu, Collective fabrication of an in-plane silicon nanotip for parallel femtoliter droplet deposition,/ Micromech. Microeng., 17, N1-N5 (2007). 

Harker et al. produced artificial moth eye structures in silicon, germanium, and diamond [193]. Huang et al. fabricated bio-inspired silicon nanotips as antireflection stmcmres [194]. 

Vu Thien Binh, N Garcia, ST Purcell. Electron field emission from atom-sources Fabrication, properties, and applications of nanotips. Adv Imaging Electron Phys 95 63, 1996. 

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