Nanosurf Ag

Urs Staufer

Terunobu Akiyama

Lukas Emanuel Howald

Loris Scandella

The invention relates to so-called scanning tips of probes necessary for scanning a measured object, in particular in scanning force microscopes and other scanning microscopes, so-called scanning probe microscopes. The possible resolution of such microscopes depends primarily on the fineness of the tip, i.e. its curvature or radius being as small as possible. According to the invention, a photostructurable material, e.g. a photosensitive resists, serves as the material for the scanning tip which is exposed via a mask and is subsequently developed/hardened in a manner known per se. The unexposed parts of the photosensitive resist are removed as usual. By the shape of the exposure mask, the preferably directed exposure of the photosensitive resist, and the subsequent hardening, a tip is formed preferably laterally on or at a carrier, usually made from a different material, which is provided with a very small radius, thus very well suitable for scanning probe microscopy and similar applications. By an appropriate selection of the mask and/or the exposure angle, the geometry of the tip can be controlled, in particular its bending radius and edge angle, for other applications as well, e.g. for measuring scanners or profile meters.

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Neuchatel, Switzerland

Urs Staufer