Tips for shear force microscopy fabricated by controlled etching

Abstract

The article presents specific aspects of a technologydesigned to produce sensors for shear force microscopy(SFM). The sensor consists of a quartz plug with anagglutinated probe made from tungsten wire, the tip ofwhich has been sharpened by electrochemical etching up to50 nm and less.The presentation includes a theoretical mathematicalbackground for electrochemical etching of thewire, which served as a basis for the selection of voltage/current regimes and other technological parametersthat allow obtaining appropriate sharpness of the probe.The use of the sensors in experimental measurementscarried out for the evaluation of their reliability attestto the efficiency of the developed technology.The positive results of our experimental researchare valuable in the production of SFM sensors; on the otherhand, they contribute to the expansion of experimentalpotential in such areas of research as nanotribology, nanolithography,nanometric acoustic spectroscopy and analysisof biological objects in liquids.