White paper: Introducing Lprobes® and XLprobes® technology for Atomic Force Microscopy

We present a new MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) fabrication process enabling batch production of in-plane Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probes with very high lengths and high aspect ratios. This process enables to introduce two probe series: Lprobe® featuring 30 to 40 µm tip lengths, and XLprobe® with tip lengths above 100 µm. These long, high-aspect-ratio probes are fully compatible with standard AFM systems and offer prospects for enhanced imaging range and spatial resolution in topography. We also discuss about benefits that long tips should bring regarding Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM), Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), and Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM). Finally, we describe the advantages expected in infrared nanospectroscopy (AFM-IR) and scattering-type Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM).