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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
SFM probe tips have been functionalized with polypropylene (PP) layers by immersion into dilute solution. The immersion process was carefully controlled and monitored using a programmable dynamic contact angle analyzer (DCA) equipped with a microbalance and a motor capable of speeds ranging from 2-24 μm/s. Probes were submitted to treatment with ozone prior to coating to eliminate surface contamination, particularly silicone oils, resulting from commercial packaging methods. The chemical composition of the tip surface after the cleaning, coating, and scanning processes was analyzed by Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The three-dimensional tip shape and dimensions before and after coating were evaluated by blind reconstruction from images of a columnar titanium thin film using Digital Instruments' Tip Evaluation algorithm. Coating thicknesses of up to 20 nm were calculated, with the thicker coatings showing a larger degree of non-uniformity.