US Patent 7247248 Method of forming atomic force microscope tips

The invention relates to a method for forming silicon atomic force microscope tips. The method includes the steps of depositing a masking layer onto a first layer of doped silicon so that some square or rectangular areas of the first layer of doped silicon are not covered by the masking layer, etching pyramidal apertures in the first layer of doped silicon, removing the masking layer, depositing a second layer of doped silicon onto the first layer of doped silicon, the second layer of doped silicon being oppositely doped to the first layer of doped silicon and etching away the first layer of doped silicon. Further steps may be added to form the atomic force microscope tips at the end of cantilevers.