Patent ID: 8011016

Claim:
An SPM probe comprising: an elongated support element having a raised portion; a cantilever projecting beyond a front face of the support element and carrying a scanning tip, wherein: the raised portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the support element and the cantilever, the support element and the raised portion each have an essentially trapezoidal cross-section, each with a longer and a shorter transverse edge at the front face side flank, the cantilever is arranged at the raised portion of the support element and protrudes from a front face side flank of the support element at the shorter transverse edge, and the longer transverse edge of the support element is longer than the longer transverse edge of the raised portion and these longer transverse edges partially coincide to define a coinciding transverse edge equal in length to the longer transverse edge of the raised portion and located at an edge of the front face and an underside of the support element; and critical corners at the coinciding transverse edge of the front face side flank that are closest to a sample during the scanning process; wherein a plane, defined by a theoretical straight line passing through one of the critical corners as well as through the scanning tip and by a lateral longitudinal edge of the underside of the support element connected with the one of the critical corners, forms an angle of tilt of at least 5 degrees relative to the coinciding transverse edge.