Sensors for scanning probe microscopy (SPM)

The characterization of material properties in molecular or atomic dimensions together with a time resolution in the range of some ten femtoseconds is of increasing importance in the field of materials used in mechanical engineering, microelectronics as web as chemistry. and biology. A solution of these problems is the application of the scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. But this is only true, if it is possible to design and fabricate appropriate probes adapted to the particular problem. For the mass fabrication of probes with reproducible properties the methods of microstructuring technologies including lithography together with wet and dry etching are applied which are already be known to be adequate from microelectronics and MEMS. Different probes optimized not only to measure topography but also other physical surface properties will be presented and discussed in some detail.