Tip‐induced anodization of titanium surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy: A humidity effect on nanolithography

A scanning tunneling microscope was employed for tip‐induced anodization of titanium (Ti) surfaces. Spatial resolution of fabricated patterns was remarkably affected by the tip shape and humidity in the atmosphere. The amount of adsorbed water on the Ti surface determined by humidity has a key role in controlling the resolution, and the resolution becomes worse with increasing humidity. Under the optimized conditions, tip‐induced anodization of Ti was successfully achieved with a spatial resolution of 30 nm.