


Volume 20 No 20 (2022)
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Tungsten tips of different diameters for STM prepared by electrochemical etching method
Ravindra N. Chikhale, Vikas S. Shinde
Abstract
In the Scanning tunneling microscope (STM) different kinds of tips is used. The shape of the tip (cylindrical) is very important for the functioning of an active probe. In the present work, STM tips are fabricated from tungsten metal wire. The electrochemical etching method was used to prepare tungsten tips. This method generally involves the anodic dissolution of the metal electrodes. Two types of etching methods are AC and DC itch. Tips prepared by DC etch method have a hyperbolic shape and are much sharper than AC etch and are preferred for high-resolution STM imaging. In the present work, DC etching process was preferred. During the etching process current with respect to time was noted for different diameters of the tungsten wire. It was observed that current decreases with respect to time because of the decrease in the diameter of the wire during the etching process. The sharpness and shape of the tip depending on the concentration of the electrolyte (KOH) medium, the depth of the wire in the electrolyte medium, natural vibrations, and leveling of the surface. SEM study shows a sharp tip of size in nanometer scale was obtained.
Keywords
Electrochemical etching, tungsten tips, electrolyte
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