MICROWAVE WAVEGUIDE PROBE OF MICROWAVE ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE

• Main Authors: KYO AKIRA, KOBAYASHI TETSUYA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.10.2008
• Subjects: APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; MEASURING; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; TESTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop a microwave waveguide probe wherein a compound semiconductor is used for a substrate for achieving a microwave atomic force microscope. SOLUTION: In a probe 10, a cantilever portion 12 is bent by an interatomic force working between an explorer on the tip of a cantilever 12 and a sample 20. A bending amount is detected by a so-called optical lever system wherein laser light generated from a laser 30 is allowed to hit onto the back of the probe 10, and reflected laser light is detected by a quadripartite photodiode 40. The probe 10 for the microwave atomic force microscope requires a material having excellent insulation property as a dielectric, for transmitting efficiently a microwave for irradiating the sample 20, and therefor a compound semiconductor is used as a probe material having excellent insulation property. For example, gallium arsenide (GaAs) is used. The microwave waveguide probe has a structure having a waveguide which is a transmission mechanism constituted of metal parallel-plate lines 16, 18 positioned on the upper and lower sides across the cantilever 12. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT