Patent ID: 8245318

Claim:
A method of subtractively fabricating a sidewall tracing nanoprobe, comprising, i) fabricating a carbon nanotube or nanowire by chemical vapor deposition, ii) said carbon nanotube or nanowire having a probe structure comprising an elongated stem portion having a probe tip and a metallic catalyst particle located at the probe tip, iii) modifying said metallic catalyst to make it more wear-resistant by one of: use of a pre-alloyed metallic catalyst for nanotube CVD growth; modifying the metallic catalyst by deposition of a metal onto the metallic catalyst and applying an annealing heat treatment to form a mechanically stronger alloy or intermetallic compound; or coating the metallic catalyst with a layer of wear-resistant material, and iv) removing a portion of the material from side walls of the carbon nanotube stem so that the metallic probe tip protrudes sideways in at least two directions or all the way around the circular periphery of the probe tip.