METHOD FOR DETERMINING A SPRING CONSTANT FOR A DEFORMABLE SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE ELEMENT, AND SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE AND CALIBRATION DEVICE ARRANGED FOR DETERMINING A SPRING CONSTANT FOR A PROBE ELEMENT

• Main Authors: BOSSCHE, ADRIANUS, YANG, CHUNG-KAI, SADEGHIAN, HAMED, KEULEN, ALFRED, FRENCH, PATRICK JAMES, GOOSEN, JOHANNES FRANS LODEWIJK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.05.2012
• Subjects: APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; MEASURING; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; TESTING

A method for determining a spring constant k for a deformable probe element (102) of a scanning probe microscope SPM (100). The probe (102) has an outer surface area consisting of a tip area (112) on a first probe side (108) and a tip-less area (113). The probe (102) also has a probe electrode (114) and a scanning probe tip (104) in the tip area (112). The method comprises: providing an actuation electrode (116) that is spatially separated from the probe (102); adjusting a potential difference V applied between the probe electrode (114) and the actuation electrode (116);deflecting the probe (102) into a contacted state of the actuation electrode (116) with only a contact portion of the tip-less probe area (113);measuring an EPI-potential difference Vpi between probe electrode (114) and actuation electrode (116), and deriving the spring constant k, based on the EPI-potential difference Vpi. Furthermore, an SPM (100) and calibration device with this method functionality are provided.