STM carbon nanotube tips fabrication for critical dimension measurements

Reconstruction errors due to the finite shape of the tip remain the major limitation of scanning probe microscopy for nanometer scale measurements. Carbon nanotubes are ideal SPM probes thanks to their nanometric diameter, high aspect-ratio and strength. In this work, the feasibility of a method to attach CNT on the apex of a Tungsten tip has been tested. By the fabricated CNT tip we successfully imaged a metalized rectangular grating obtaining a profile nearly rectangular in comparison with classic STM-W tip. The metallic behavior of CNT was also analyzed from I-V characteristics of the tunneling current.