Single-walled carbon nanotube probes for AFM imaging

This paper discusses fabrication and characterization of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) AFM probes. By selectively deposit catalytic nanoparticles onto commercial AFM probes with silicon tips, we are able to grow SWNTs on the wafer scale, with 30-50% usable probe yield. We also studied shortening of carbon nanotubes to achieve proper mechanical strength required for AFM application. Comparison shows that SWNT probes consistently reveal 50-100% more surface features than silicon probes. These probes are also successfully used in DNA imaging in a liquid solution.