Fabrication of graphene MEMS by standard transfer: High performance atomic force microscope tips

Scanning probe microscopes (SPM) are commonly used for characterization of the topographic and electrical properties of materials at the nanoscale. In such setup, the probes play a prominent role to obtain reliable imaging, but most tips lose their intrinsic properties after some measurements. Here, we modified the metal varnished atomic force microscope tips by transferring a sheet of graphene on them. The resulting graphene micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) - AFM tips are characterized by means of optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microscope (EDX) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Our graphene-coated tips achieved lifetimes 10 times larger than the uncoated counterparts, improving the quality and reducing the cost of research.