The new AFM probe for topography imaging is a single crystal diamond tip (see Fig. 1,2) mounted on silicon cantilever. The tip has a radius of about 7 nm and its cone angle is less than 20°, which allows imaging of high aspect ratio surface features and broadens the area for applications in comparison with silicon etched probes.

In Fig.3 you can see a comparison of scans made using the new diamond tip (a) and traditional silicon tip (c), with the corresponding height profiles. Scan 3a exhibits much higher profile as the tip can reach much deeper into the pores.

The tip exhibits high durability and resistance to wear. The scan 3a was made in contact mode, and inspite of the fact that the cone angle is less than 20°, it was not broken or weared off in this regime. A number of scans of rough and hard surface can be obtained by the same diamond tip even in contact mode without changing its shape, which is important for imaging different processes in time.

The resolution attainable using the new diamond probes is comparable to that of silicon. Usual imaging procedures, techniques and AFM settings can be applied for scanning. An example of tapping mode scans made using diamond general purpose (GP) probes can be seen in Fig. 4.

SCD probe is a single crystal Diamond tip mounted to the end of a silicon cantilever. The tip radius is about 7 nm, the aspect ratio is 4:1 or better.