Local Oxidation of Titanium Using Dynamic-Mode Tuning-Fork Probe with Microfabricated Silicon Cantilever

We present a unique probe that is based on a quartz tuning fork and a microfabricated cantilever. The probe is self-actuating and self-sensing. The cantilever can be tailored to the needs of specific applications, in this case to feature an electrically connected tip, in order to apply a potential to it. We investigate the usability of our probe with a tip for local oxidation experiments. We performed cyclic voltammetry to determine the bias voltage beyond which local anodic oxidation can happen. Our goal is to use this probe in a future scanning probe microscopy (SPM) lithography apparatus. © 2006 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.