Performance of the trial scanning atom-probe-new approach to evaluate micro-tip array

The scanning atom probe (SAP) was proposed to realize atom-by-atom mass analysis of a flat specimen surface with micro-tip arrays or many microcusps. The unique feature of the SAP is in the introduction of a microextraction electrode to the conventional atom-probe which scans over the specimen surface. In this paper a trial SAP was constructed by modifying a low temperature UHV scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in order to inspect the relative position of the tip and the electrode.