NanoWorld® Ultra-Short Cantilevers (USC) for High-Speed AFM (HS-AFM) combine very small AFM cantilevers capable of resonating in the MHz regime and a very sharp and wear resistant AFM tip.
The AFM cantilever of the USC series is rectangular and made of a quartz-like material. A gold layer is deposited on both sides of the AFM cantilever in order to enhance the reflectance of the laser beam, but the AFM tip remains uncoated.

The wear resistant AFM tip has been developed together with nanotools GmbH and sustains high velocity scans over long distances. It is made of High Density Carbon/Diamond Like Carbon (HDC/DLC) material which is hard and wear resistant. It has a height of 2.5 microns and a radius of curvature smaller than 10 nm. The aspect ratio is in the order of 5 : 1 and the tilt compensation is 8° ensuring more symmetric AFM images.

The type USC-F0.3-k0.3 is mainly designed for High-Speed AFM applications in liquid but can also be used for applications in air (depending on the application).