Silicon sensors with integral tips for atomic force microscopy: a novel single-mask fabrication process

A novel single-mask process for fabrication of silicon microcantilevers with integral silicon tips for use in atomic force microscopy (AFM) is described. The highly cusped tips with radii of curvature of a few nanometres are located precisely on the central axis of the cantilevers. The single-mask process is simple and eliminates errors due to mask alignments necessary for current processes. The complete fabrication process is described and the devices evaluated by SEM.