Design and Realization of 3D Printed AFM Probes

Atomic force microscope (AFM) probes and AFM imaging by extension are the product of exceptionally refined silicon micromachining, but are also restricted by the limitations of these fabrication techniques. Here, the nanoscale additive manufacturing technique direct laser writing is explored as a method to print monolithic cantilevered probes for AFM. Not only are 3D printed probes found to function effectively for AFM, but they also confer several advantages, most notably the ability to image in intermittent contact mode with a bandwidth approximately ten times larger than analogous silicon probes. In addition, the arbitrary structural control afforded by 3D printing is found to enable programming the modal structure of the probe, a capability that can be useful in the context of resonantly amplifying nonlinear tip–sample interactions. Collectively, these results show that 3D printed probes complement those produced using conventional silicon micromachining and open the door to new imaging techniques. Functioning atomic force microscope probes can be 3D printed using direct laser writing. These probes can be designed to have lumped element properties commensurate with conventional probes and can image surfaces in contact and intermittent contact modes. Interestingly, 3D printed probes have higher imaging bandwidth than conventional probes in addition to having tunable modal and elastic properties.