Nanoprobe tips are key components in many applications such as scanning probe microscopes, nanoscale imaging, nanofabrication and sensing. This paper describes a dynamic chemical etching method for the fabrication of optical nanoprobes. The tips are produced by mechanically rotating and dipping a silica optical fibre in a chemical etching solution (aqueous hydrofluoric acid) covered with a protection layer. Using different dynamic regimes of the mechanical movements during the chemical etching process, it is possible to vary the cone angle, the shape, and the roughness of the nanoprobes. It is found that the tip profiles are determined by the nonlinear dynamic evolution of the meniscus of the etchant near the fibre. Computational fluid dynamic simulations have been performed, showing that different flow regimes correspond to different shear forces acting on the forming nanotip, in agreement with experimental results. With this method, a high yield of reproducible nanotips can be obtained, thus overcoming the drawbacks of conventional etching techniques. Typical tip features are short taper length (∼200 μm), large cone angle (up to 40°), and small probe tip dimension (less than 30 nm).
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
7 February 2015
Research Article|
February 02 2015
Optical fibre nanotips fabricated by a dynamic chemical etching for sensing applications
A. Barucci
;
A. Barucci
a)
1
IFAC-CNR
, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
F. Cosi;
F. Cosi
1
IFAC-CNR
, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
A. Giannetti;
A. Giannetti
1
IFAC-CNR
, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
S. Pelli;
S. Pelli
1
IFAC-CNR
, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
D. Griffini;
D. Griffini
2DIEF, Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence
, via di S. Marta 3, Firenze 50139, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Insinna;
M. Insinna
2DIEF, Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence
, via di S. Marta 3, Firenze 50139, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
S. Salvadori;
S. Salvadori
2DIEF, Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Florence
, via di S. Marta 3, Firenze 50139, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
B. Tiribilli
;
B. Tiribilli
3
ISC-CNR
, Institute for Complex Sistems, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
G. C. Righini
G. C. Righini
1
IFAC-CNR
, Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics, Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Italy
4
Enrico Fermi Centre
, Piazza del Viminale 1, Roma 00184, Italy
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Corresponding author email address: a.barucci@ifac.cnr.it
J. Appl. Phys. 117, 053104 (2015)
Article history
Received:
August 08 2014
Accepted:
January 16 2015
Citation
A. Barucci, F. Cosi, A. Giannetti, S. Pelli, D. Griffini, M. Insinna, S. Salvadori, B. Tiribilli, G. C. Righini; Optical fibre nanotips fabricated by a dynamic chemical etching for sensing applications. J. Appl. Phys. 7 February 2015; 117 (5): 053104. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4906854
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Citing articles via
A step-by-step guide to perform x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
Grzegorz Greczynski, Lars Hultman
GaN-based power devices: Physics, reliability, and perspectives
Matteo Meneghini, Carlo De Santi, et al.
Related Content
Near-field optical imaging with a nanotip grown on fibered polymer microlens
Appl. Phys. Lett. (January 2012)
Direct simulation Monte Carlo on thermal distribution of rarefied gas under heated atomic force microscope nanoprobe
J. Appl. Phys. (January 2009)
Laser welding of a single tungsten oxide nanotip on a handleable tungsten wire: A demonstration of laser-weld nanoassembly
Appl. Phys. Lett. (February 2007)
A gold-nanotip optical fiber for plasmon-enhanced near-field detection
Appl. Phys. Lett. (July 2013)
Note: Electrochemical etching of cylindrical nanoprobes using a vibrating electrolyte
Rev. Sci. Instrum. (July 2015)