The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 03, 1996
Filed:
Nov. 02, 1992
Shinya Akamine, Stanford, CA (US);
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford, CA (US);
Abstract
Sharpened microminiature tips are produced by casting in a silicon/silicon dioxide mold. The silicon dioxide layer is formed by exposing cavities in a single crystal substrate to an oxidizing species at a low temperature. Anomalous oxidation of silicon results in a differential thickness in the silicon dioxide layer, providing a convex contour on the surface of the cavities, leading to a sharpened end. The tip can be made from any kind of material that can be cast in a silicon mold. The sharpened tip can be integrated with a member to form a cantilever. An improved scanning probe microscope can be built with the sharpened tip in the cantilever structure.