PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

In the presented work the controlled mechanical modification of conducting lines on a nanometer scale by a scanning force microscope will be demonstrated. To achieve the high loads necessary for the modification of the lines, noncontact cantilevers and home made supertips have been used in contact mode. Aluminium and an alloy of gold-palladium have been used as materials for studying the influence of the different parameter as well as the mechanical properties of the thin films on the modification process. Qualitative conclusions will be made. The process of modification is monitored and controlled for the first time by an in situ measurement of the electric resistance of the modified conducting line. A Wheatstone bridge and lock-in technique have been used to observe the change in the resistance. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.