Automated wafer-scale fabrication of electron beam deposited tips for atomic force microscopes using pattern recognition

We present an automation technique for the growth of electron beam deposited tips on whole wafers of atomic force microscope cantilevers. This technique uses pattern recognition on scanning electron microscope images of successive magnifications to precisely place the tips on the cantilevers. We demonstrate the capabilities of the working system on a four-inch wafer of microfabricated small cantilevers with a total of approximately 2100 levers per week.