SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE

• Main Authors: MIYATANI TATSUYA, NAKAJIMA KUNIO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.03.2000
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; TESTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit the shortening of measurement time without changing scanning speed by providing a plurality of cantilevers with probes at their tips, independently detecting the deflection of the plurality of cantilevers, independently directing the plurality of cantilevers toward a sample, and vertically moving them. SOLUTION: A probe 1 and the deflection detecting means 5 of a cantilever 2 are in a one-to-one constitution, and it is possible to detect the displacement of a plurality of probes 1 independently. On the basis of the output of a deflection detecting means 5, a computer and a controller 6 vertically move a support 3 by a piezoelectric actuator 4 so as to maintain the constant deflection of the cantilever 2 to scan the surface of a sample. By this, it is entirely satisfactory for one probe 1 to scan a small area.