Practical use of a carbon nanotube attached to a blunt apex in an atomic force microscope

A carbon nanotube (CNT) was successfully attached to a base probe with a blunt apex and subsequently used as a probe for an atomic force microscope (AFM). This setup demonstrates high spatial resolution properties, plus an advantage: we were able to readily identify the loss of the CNT from the end of the probe by the resultant sudden drop in resolution. This design of probe is expected to feature yet another advantage: that of relative immunity to accidental collision compared to a CNT attached to a commercially available sharp tip. We also discuss the problems specific to CNT-attached probes, which are carbon contamination of the sample surface and artifact images formed at the edge of pit structures. We demonstrate that carbon contamination can be suppressed by a rubbing procedure before the scanning use, and that pit artifacts can be eliminated by optimizing the CNT length.