A single electron transistor on an atomic force microscope probe.

Brenning, Henrik T A; Kubatkin, Sergey E; Erts, Donats; Kafanov, Sergey G; Bauch, Thilo; Delsing, Per · Nano Lett · 2006

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We report fabrication as well as proof-of-concept experiments of a noninvasive sensor of weak nanoscale electric fields. The sensor is a single electron transistor (SET) placed at the tip of a noncontact atomic force microscope (AFM). This is a general technology to make any nanometer-sized lithography pattern at edges or tips of a cantilever. The height control of the AFM allows the SET to hover a few nanometers above the substrate, improving both the electric field sensitivity and lateral resolution of the electrometer. Our AFM-SET sensor is prepared by a scalable technology. It means that the probe can be routinely fabricated and replaced, if broken.

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