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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
On The Electrochemical Etching Of Tips For Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Nancy Burnham, J. Ibe, P. Bey Jr., S. Brandow, R. Brizzolara, D. Dilella, K. Lee, C. K. Marrian, R. Colton
On The Electrochemical Etching Of Tips For Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Nancy Burnham, J. Ibe, P. Bey Jr., S. Brandow, R. Brizzolara, D. Dilella, K. Lee, C. K. Marrian, R. Colton
Nancy A. Burnham
The sharpness of tips used in scanning tunneling microscopy(STM) is one factor which affects the resolution of the STM image. In this paper, we report on a direct‐current (dc) drop‐off electrochemicaletching procedure used to sharpen tips for STM. The shape of the tip is dependent on the meniscus which surrounds the wire at the air–electrolyte interface. The sharpness of the tip is related to the tensile strength of the wire and how quickly the electrochemical reaction can be stopped once the wire breaks. We have found that the cutoff time of the etch circuit has a significant effect on the …