Probe Array Patterns and Images Nanoscale Features

Anne L. Fischer

As reported in the October issue of Nano Letters, researchers at the cat Urbana-Champaign have designed and fabricated a multifunctional probe array for direct chemical pattern generation and imaging. The individually addressable, thermoelectrically actuated probes are constructed of different tip materials and have dedicated functions: dip-pen nanolithography, scanning-probe contact printing and atomic force microscopy. In tests of the array, the scientists generated nano- and microscale features on a gold-coated silicon chip, which they subsequently imaged using other probes on the array. The device eliminates the lost time and inconvenience of changing probe tips for nanoscale patterning and imaging applications. Courtesy of Chang Liu.