Titanium nanostructures made by local oxidation with the atomic force microscope

Surfaces can be oxidized under ambient conditions with the tip of a scanning probe microscope when applying a voltage between surface and tip. The oxidation process is voltage- and humidity-dependent, and can be explained in terms of anodic oxidation. Sufficiently thin metal films e.g., Ti or Al.can be completely oxidized down to the substrate, enabling the direct writing of nanostructures. We report on the fabrication and electrical measurements of Ti lines and TirTiO rTi junctions x defined in titanium thin films having a thickness smaller than 10 nm. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved