Patent ID: 7677088

Claim:
A cantilever probe, comprising: (a) a handle portion having a first end and an opposite, second end and a handle portion body formed therebetween; (b) a cantilever transversally projecting away from the first end of the handle portion such that an angle, α, is formed between the cantilever and the handle portion body, wherein the cantilever has a first end portion, an opposite, second end portion, and a cantilever body formed therebetween, and wherein the second end portion is anchored at the first end of the handle portion; (c) a tip vertically extending from the first end portion of the cantilever; and (d) an electrode member formed on the second end portion of the cantilever, wherein the cantilever is formed to have a first region and a second region in connection with the first region, each region having an electrical resistivity; wherein the tip is in the first region; wherein the electrical resistivity of the first region is substantially higher than that of the second region such that when an electrical current flows through the cantilever from the electrode member, resistive heating occurs substantially in the tip; wherein the tip has a taper shape having an apex portion and at least one slope portion extending from the apex portion; wherein the cantilever is formed of silicon, and wherein the silicon comprises an n-type silicon or a p-type silicon; wherein the first and second regions and of the cantilever are defined by a selective doping of the cantilever with a dopant, each doping region having a dopant concentration; wherein the dopant concentration of the first region is substantially lower than that of the second region of the cantilever; wherein the first region of the cantilever is doped through a native doping of the silicon forming the cantilever such that the first region in the tip has a native dopant concentration; and wherein the first region of the cantilever is further doped through a tailoring doping such that the apex portion of the tip has a tailored dopant concentration that is higher than the native dopant concentration.