Advanced Diamond Technologies
(ADT), the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the University of Pennsylvania
have published
groundbreaking work in the May 2010 issue of the journal ACS Nano demonstrating
that nanometerscale
diamond tips exhibit unparalleled stability and anti-fouling capabilities under
extremely harsh
conditions.
“Wear-resistant Diamond Nanoprobe Tips with Integrated Silicon Heater
for Tip-Based
Nanomanufacturing,” demonstrates the ability of UNCD® tips integrated
with doped silicon atomic force
microscope (AFM) cantilevers for use in nanomanufacturing. The initial UNCD
tip radius can be as small
as 15 nm, and retains its shape when scanned for more than a meter at high temperatures
and under
high loading forces. Silicon tips, frequently used in prototype nanomanufacturing
demonstrations, are
quickly destroyed under similar conditions. Additionally, silicon tips easily
foul, or pick up undesirable
material from the scanned surface, while the low stiction properties of diamond
avoid fouling.
“The UNCD probe tip, integrated onto a silicon heater-thermometer, has
extraordinary longevity and
demonstrates success under the harsh conditions required for tip-based nanofabrication,”
said team
leader Dr. William P. King, associate professor and Willett Faculty Scholar
at the University of Illinois.
“There are countless applications where we would like to have a nanoprobe
scan over a hard surface at
high temperature and high loading force.”
Tip-based nanofabrication is the ability to use a nanometer-scale tip to imprint
or write patterns onto a
material; which is comparable to using a pencil to write on paper. In the nanoworld,
writing tiny
patterns is extremely difficult. Tip-based nanomanufacturing is currently used
to fabricate or repair
nanoelectronics or lithographic masks; a demanding job requiring the tip to
scan long distances over
hard substances.
“Diamond has long been considered the ideal tip material. This paper
demonstrates how UNCD
technology meets the challenge of demanding specifications of imaging and nanomaufacturing
placed
on the tip radius of dimensional stability; thus paving the way for probe-based
technologies for a
number of applications,” said Dr. John Carlisle, chief technology officer,
ADT.
These wear resistant diamond nanoprobe tips integrated with silicon heaters
are perfectly suited for
nanomaterials characterization, nanoscale transport measurements, and applications
such as dip-pen
nanolithography, probe-based non-volatile memories, and patterning nanowires
on surfaces.
Next, the researchers will be building and using arrays of these probe tips.
“The longevity of these
probes allow them to be implemented in massively parallel arrays that could
scan over long distances
and at high speed,” said Dr. King. “We can now think about using
nanoprobe tip arrays to address many
square centimeters of surface area. Eventually we’ll go to nanoprobe scans
on meter scale.”
ADT and its university partners gratefully acknowledge DARPA’s Tip-Based
Nanofabrication Program for
sponsoring this work.
ADT is the world leader in the development of diamond for industrial, electronics,
energy, and medical applications. ADT is a World Economic Forum 2007 Technology
Pioneer, a recipient of a 2008 EuroAsia IC Award in the Materials Enabling category
from EuroAsia Semiconductor magazine, and a 2008 R&D 100 Award winner for
UNCD Seals (mechanical seals for pumps), and a 2009 R&D 100 Award winner
for NaDiaProbes® (the world’s first all-diamond AFM probes).