Switchable cantilever fabrication for a novel time-of-flight scanning force microscope

We describe a cantilever device for a novel time-of-flight scanning force microscopy (TOF-SFM) concept. The cantilever device consists of a switchable cantilever (SC), a microfabricated extraction electrode, and an Interlocking microstage. It allows quasi-simultaneous topographical and chemical imaging of a sample surface to be performed in the same way as with conventional scanning probe techniques. This is achieved by the micromachined SC with a bimorph actuator that provides a reasonable switching speed. Secondly, a short tip-electrode distance to minimize the ion extraction voltage can be realized by the help of the Interlock type assembling. The measured SC tip deflection is ∼ 100 μm at 35 mW, corresponding to an estimated heater temperature of ∼ 250°C. The maximum switching speed between the two modes is ∼ 50 ms, and the sensitivity ΔR/R of an integrated piezoresistive deflection sensor is ∼ 6.7 × 10-7/nm. The tip-electrode distance is only 10 mm. The TOF-SFM system is currently being integrated in an ultra-high-vacuum system to perform first experiments. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.