Develops and manufactures in cleanrooms atomic force microscope probes (AFM probes) for nanotechnology.
NanoWorld AG
Neuchâtel (CH)New on Amplifa
About NanoWorld
NanoWorld AG, headquartered in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, specializes in the development and manufacture of probes for atomic force microscopy (AFM/SPM). Founded in 2000 by Manfred Detterbeck, the company produces in its own cleanrooms silicon probes of monolithic design, silicon nitride probes with Pyrex glass chips, and ultra-short cantilevers for high-speed AFM. The portfolio is complemented by coatings such as aluminum reflex, gold, PtIr5, diamond and magnetic layers. In addition to standard products such as the Pointprobe series, the company offers custom special developments, including a dedicated probe for Zeiss Veritekt microscopes. Customers include research institutions and companies from nanotechnology, materials science, semiconductor manufacturing, life sciences and physics. The site is located near Microcity (EPFL) and CSEM.
- Site
- Neuchâtel
- Processes
- Manufacture of AFM/SPM atomic force probes (silicon probes, monolithic design), Manufacture of probes for contact mode AFM (Pointprobe® CONT, CONTSC, Arrow™ CONT), Manufacture of probes for non-contact/tapping mode AFM, Manufacture of ultra-short cantilevers for high-speed AFM (USC, resonance 1.2-5 MHz), Manufacture of Pyrex-Nitride probes (silicon nitride cantilevers and tips), Aluminum reflex coating (30 nm Al on the detector side of the cantilever), Gold coating (70 nm Cr/Au, one-sided or both-sided, on request), PtIr5 coating (25 nm both-sided, conductive)
- Materials
- Silicon (highly doped single crystal), Silicon nitride (SiN), Pyrex nitride (Pyrex glass chip with silicon nitride), Aluminum (reflex coating, 30 nm), Gold (coating, 70 nm), Chromium/gold (coating), Platinum-iridium alloy (PtIr5), Diamond (polycrystalline, coating)
- Certificates
- Data sheets with guaranteed values
- Founded
- 2000
- Industries
- Nanotechnology, Materials science, Semiconductor industry, Life sciences/Life Science, Physics, Biology
- 01
R&D and special development
- 02
Cleanroom production (microstructuring of silicon wafers)
- 03
Coating (reflex, gold, PtIr5, diamond, magnetic)
- 04
Quality inspection
- 05
Packaging (packs of 10/20/50 or wafer)
- 06
Worldwide shipping
Materials and Processes
Highly doped silicon single crystal (0.01–0.025 Ohm·cm)
Monolithic material for cantilever, tip and holding chip; chemically inert, suitable for liquids and electrochemical cells.
Silicon nitride (SiN)
Cantilevers and oxide-sharpened pyramidal tips of the Pyrex-Nitride probes.
Pyrex glass (holding chip)
Chip material of the Pyrex-Nitride probes for contact and dynamic mode.
Aluminum reflex coating
30-nm layer on the detector side, increases laser reflection by a factor of 2.5.
Chromium/gold coating (70 nm)
Reflex and conductive coating on one or both sides, on request.
Platinum-iridium alloy (PtIr5, 25 nm)
Conductive coating on both sides for electrical measurement methods.
Polycrystalline diamond (approx. 100 nm) or HDC/DLC
Wear-resistant tip coating for hard contact, nanostructuring and FMM.
Cobalt alloy / soft magnetic layer
Magnetic coatings for MFM applications (coercivity of the soft magnetic layer approx. 0.75 Oe).
Quartz-like material
Cantilevers of the Ultra-Short Cantilever series with resonance frequencies from 1.2 to 5 MHz.
Locations
Neuchâtel
CHHeadquarters, R&D and cleanroom production
- Part weight / size
- Holding chip 3.4 × 1.6 × 0.3 mm; cantilever 10–450 µm
- Lot size
- Packs of 10, 20, 50; wafers with 380–388 probes
- Materials
- Silicon, silicon nitride, Pyrex, coating metals
- Cleanroom
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of AFM/SPM atomic force probes (silicon probes, monolithic design)Engineering | – | – | – | Wafers with 380-388 probes | Silicon (highly doped single crystal), Silicon nitride, Pyrex nitride |
| Manufacture of probes for contact mode AFM (Pointprobe® CONT, CONTSC, Arrow™ CONT)Engineering | Cantilever length 445-455 µm or 220-230 µm · Tip radius typ. < 8 nm (Pointprobe), < | 450 µm × 50 µm × 2 µm (cantilever thickness) | – | 10 pieces – 380 pieces (wafer) | Silicon |
| Manufacture of probes for non-contact/tapping mode AFMEngineering | – | – | – | – | Silicon |
| Manufacture of ultra-short cantilevers for high-speed AFM (USC, resonance 1.2-5 MHz)Engineering | Tip radius typ. < 10 nm | 10 µm | – | – | Quartz-like material, High Density Carbon/Diamond Like Carbon (HDC/DLC), Silicon (support chip) |
| Manufacture of Pyrex-Nitride probes (silicon nitride cantilevers and tips)Engineering | Tip radius typ. < 10 nm | 100 µm | – | – | Silicon nitride (SiN), Pyrex glass |
| Aluminum reflex coating (30 nm Al on the detector side of the cantilever)Surface | 30 nm layer thickness | – | – | – | Aluminum |
| Gold coating (70 nm Cr/Au, one-sided or both-sided, on request)Surface | 70 nm layer thickness | – | – | – | Gold, Chromium/gold |
| PtIr5 coating (25 nm both-sided, conductive)Surface | 25 nm layer thickness | – | – | – | Platinum-iridium alloy (PtIr5) |
| Diamond coating of tips (DT: ~100 nm polycrystalline diamond; CDT: conductive)Surface | approx. 100 nm layer thickness | – | – | – | Diamond (polycrystalline) |
| Magnetic coatings (hard magnetic coating: cobalt alloy; soft magnetic coating)Surface | – | – | – | – | Cobalt alloy, Soft magnetic material (coercivity approx. 0.75 Oe) |
| Manufacture of SuperSharpSilicon™ tips (SSS, radius down to 2 nm)Engineering | Radius guaranteed < 5 nm (yield 80%) · Tip radius approx. 2 nm | 10 - 15 µm (tip height) | – | – | Silicon |
| Manufacture of high aspect ratio tips (AR5/AR5T, aspect ratio up to 7:1)Engineering | Aspect ratio min. 5:1 guaranteed · Tip radius typ. 10 nm (guaranteed < 15 | 10 - 15 µm (tip height) | – | – | Silicon |
| Special developments / customized probes (Customized Solutions)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Silicon, Silicon nitride |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanroom (cleanroom production) | – | – | – | – | Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Guaranteed values such as tip radius, cantilever dimensions and yields (e.g. SuperSharpSilicon: radius < 5 nm at 80% yield) are documented per product; data sheets are included with the packs.
| Evidence | Neuchâtel |
|---|---|
| Data sheets with guaranteed values |
History
- 2000
Founded in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, by Manfred Detterbeck with venture capital.
- 2002
Acquisition of the Nanosensors brand and technology.