Micro-four-point probe

A micro-four point probe has been fabricated using silicon microtechnology. The probes are metal-silicon oxide cantilevers. The cantilever spacing has been made as small as 4 micrometers. At this scale, the conductivity of single crystal grains in polycrystalline material can be investigated, as well as conduction on step-free regions of clean crystalline surfaces. A number of systems have been studied so far, including molecular monolayers and clean silicon surfaces in ultra-high vacuum. The goal of the project is to establish the usefulness of the micro-four-point probe as a general surface analysis technique, and extend its resolution to the nanometer scale.