Process for producing an SPM sensor
AssigneeNanoWorld AG
InventorStefan Lutter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Process for producing an SPM sensor having a holding element, a cantilever and a sensor tip which projects out of the surface of the cantilever and is delimited by three surfaces. According to the process, the starting material used is a (100)-silicon wafer. The main patterning process steps are carried out on the wafer back surface, so that an SPM sensor can be produced at low cost in a single batch run.
Claims7
A process for producing a monolithic silicon SPM sensor having a holding element (4), a cantilever (18) and a sensor tip (21) which projects out of a surface of the cantilever and is delimited by three surfaces, comprising the following steps:
- A) oxidation of a (100)-silicon wafer (1) to produce an oxide layer (3) on an underside and a top side of the wafer;
- B) pre-patterning of a holding element (4) and of a cantilever (18) from the underside of the wafer (1);
- C) patterning of a free end of the cantilever (18) and two sides (14, 15) of a sensor tip (21) and of the cantilever (18) from the underside of the wafer;
- and
- D) production of the cantilever (18) and of the sensor tip (21) by thinning of the remaining substrate material from the top side of the wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.