Heated probe
Schematic representation of the cantilever–probe and tip–sample system. The sample is a standard probe-storage polymer film of around 100 nm in thickness, spin-coated on a silicon substrate. The heated probe was used to form indents having a depth between 1 and 4 nm in the polymer by applying a negative, pulsed capacitive voltage to the substrate. The arrow and 'V' indicate the direction of motion of the sample during writing.