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A simple method for high yield fabrication of sharp silicon tips

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probes require sharp tips to produce the best results. Conventionally, these tips are fabricated using complex multi-step processes. We demonstrate and explain the mechanism of a new technique that allows sharp tips to be fabricated in a single level of lithography and pattern transfer, followed by a single etch. This simplification of the fabrication process brings both cost (50% reduction in fabrication steps) and yield (~100%) benefits to the research and manufacturing communities. AFM probes exhibiting the distinctive tip geometry resulting from this approach have recently become available on the market.