Switchable cantilever fabrication for a novel time-of-flight scanning force microscope

We describe a cantilever device for a novel time-of-flight scanning force microscopy (TOF-SFM) concept. The cantilever device consists of a switchable cantilever (SC), a microfabricated extraction electrode, and an Interlocking microstage. It allows quasi-simultaneous topographical and chemical imaging of a sample surface to be performed in the same way as with conventional scanning probe techniques. This is achieved by the micromachined SC with a bimorph actuator that provides a reasonable switching speed. Secondly, a short tip-electrode distance to minimize the ion extraction voltage can be realized by the help of the Interlock type assembling. The measured SC tip deflection is similar to 100 mum at 35 mW, corresponding to an estimated heater temperature of similar to 250 degreesC. The maximum switching speed between the two modes is similar to 50 ms, and the sensitivity DeltaR/R of an integrated piezoresistive deflection sensor is similar to 6.7 X 10(-7) /nm. The tip-electrode distance is only 10 mm. The TOF-SFM system is currently being integrated in an ultra-high-vacuum system to perform first experiments. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.