CPM Seminar

Fabrication of nanotips for ultra high resolution microscopy and nanotechnology

Mohamed Rezeq

Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research

Since the advent of scanning probe microscopy there has been a growing interest in fabricating ultra sharp tips with well defined shapes. Such tips are crucial for achieving optimum, atomic scale, resolution in microscopy and patterning as well as for nano characterization. I will briefly review some of the nanotip fabrication techniques with emphasis on the nitrogen etching method. The modification of the apex structure with atomic precision will be demonstrated. Nanotips with < 1 nm radius have showed distinct features in the field emission microscope. It has been found that the field emission in this regime is localized to atomic sites on the tip apex rather than atomic facets. Some possible applications of nanotips in molecular characterization will also be addressed.