Thermal probe

A scanning thermal microscope comprising:

• a thermal probe for a scanning thermal microscope, the thermal probe comprising:
• a thermal conducting body consisting of a probe frame ending in a probe tip in use arranged along a probe direction perpendicular to a sample interface for measuring a microscopic structure on the sample interface in vicinity of the probe tip by heat exchange between the probe tip and the microscopic structure;
• and
• a bi-material cantilever strip connected to the probe frame in thermal communication with the probe tip through the thermal conducting body, wherein the probe direction of the probe tip lies in-plane with the cantilever strip in unbended state and the probe frame, wherein the cantilever strip comprises layers of material having different coefficients of thermal expansion configured to bend the cantilever strip with respect to the thermal conducting body as a function of the heat exchange between the probe tip and the microscopic structure for measuring the heat exchange by means of measuring the bending of the cantilever strip;
• and
• an actuator stage holding the thermal probe by attachment to the probe frame opposite the ending of the probe tip;
• wherein the probe frame does not bend under the influence of temperature variation at least between the ending of the probe tip and the attachment to the actuator stage.

A method of manufacturing a thermal probe comprising:

• a thermal conducting body consisting of a probe frame ending along a probe tip arranged in a probe direction perpendicular to a sample interface, and a bi-material cantilever strip connected to the probe frame in thermal communication with the probe tip through its thermal conducting body, wherein the cantilever strip in unbended state lies in-plane with the probe tip, wherein the cantilever strip comprises layers of material having different coefficients of thermal expansion configured to bend the cantilever strip with respect to the thermal conducting body as a function of temperature, the method comprising:
• providing a wafer consisting of a first material;
• etching a protruding contour of the thermal probe into the wafer, wherein the protruding contour comprises a connected flat shape of the probe frame, the probe tip, and the cantilever strip;
• locally thinning the flat shape of the cantilever strip;
• and
• depositing a second material onto the thinned cantilever strip to form the bi-material cantilever strip.