Composite diamond-DLC coated nanoprobe tips for wear resistance and adhesion reduction

The wear resistance of silicon probe is a crucial issue to assure the quality and reliability of atomic force microscope (AFM) measurements. In order to reduce the artifacts created by worn tip, the composite diamond and diamond-like-carbon (DLC) deposition on the silicon probe was investigated in this paper. The composite diamond-DLC film was deposited on the standard AFM silicon probe by the method of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The morphology and composition of the coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, AFM, and Raman spectroscopy. The wear resistance and scanning image quality of the composite diamond-DLC deposited probes were measured, as well the adhesive force under various humidity levels. The results showed that the composite diamond-DLC deposition reduced the adhesion and wear of the silicon probe, and extended the effective service life.