Facile Preparation of a Platinum Silicide Nanoparticle-Modified Tip Apex for Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy

Chun-Ting Lin; Yu-Wei Chen; James Su; Chien-Ting Wu; Chien-Nan Hsiao; Ming-Hua Shiao; Mao-Nan Chang

doi:10.1186/s11671-015-1096-8

Facile Preparation of a Platinum Silicide Nanoparticle-Modified Tip Apex for Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy

Nanoscale Res Lett. 2015 Dec;10(1):401. doi: 10.1186/s11671-015-1096-8. Epub 2015 Oct 15.

Authors

Chun-Ting Lin¹, Yu-Wei Chen², James Su¹, Chien-Ting Wu³, Chien-Nan Hsiao¹, Ming-Hua Shiao⁴, Mao-Nan Chang^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Instrument Technology Research Center, National Applied Research Laboratories, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan.
² Department of Physics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan.
³ National Nano Device Laboratories, National Applied Research Laboratories, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan.
⁴ Instrument Technology Research Center, National Applied Research Laboratories, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan. mhshiao@narlabs.org.tw.
⁵ Department of Physics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan. mnchang@dragon.nchu.edu.tw.
⁶ Institute of Nanoscience, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan. mnchang@dragon.nchu.edu.tw.

Abstract

In this study, we propose an ultra-facile approach to prepare a platinum silicide nanoparticle-modified tip apex (PSM tip) used for scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM). We combined a localized fluoride-assisted galvanic replacement reaction (LFAGRR) and atmospheric microwave annealing (AMA) to deposit a single platinum silicide nanoparticle with a diameter of 32 nm on the apex of a bare silicon tip of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The total process was completed in an ambient environment in less than 3 min. The improved potential resolution in the SKPM measurement was verified. Moreover, the resolution of the topography is comparable to that of a bare silicon tip. In addition, the negative charges found on the PSM tips suggest the possibility of exploring the use of current PSM tips to sense electric fields more precisely. The ultra-fast and cost-effective preparation of the PSM tips provides a new direction for the preparation of functional tips for scanning probe microscopy.