Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080223122 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE - A scanning probe microscope, capable of performing shape measurement not affected by electrostatic charge distribution of a sample, which: monitors an electrostatic charge state by detecting a change in a flexure or vibrating state of a cantilever due to electrostatic charges in synchronization with scanning during measurement with relative scanning between the probe and the sample, and makes potential adjustment so as to cancel an influence of electrostatic charge distribution, thus preventing damage of the probe or the sample due to discharge and achieving reduction in measurement errors due to electrostatic charge distribution. | 09-18-2008 |
20080257024 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE - The invention provides a scanning probe microscope capable of performing highly accurate three-dimensional profile measurement in a state in which no sliding of the probe or deformation of the sample substantially occurs. The present invention realizes a highly accurate three-dimensional profile measurement using a scanning probe microscope, in which the method performs measurement to obtain an accurate three-dimensional profile without causing damage to the sample by having the probe contact the sample at the measurement point and then move to a next measurement point, wherein the probe is pulled up and retracted temporarily and then moved to the next measurement point where it is approximated to the sample again, the method comprises analyzing the signals of the contact force sensor so as to obtain the height of the probe at the time when the probe contacts the sample with zero contact force, so as to substantially eliminate errors caused by sliding of the probe and deformation of the sample caused by minute contact force. | 10-23-2008 |
20090158828 | Scanning Probe Microscope - In the case of measuring a pattern having a steep side wall, a probe adheres to the side wall by the van der Waals forces acting between the probe and the side wall when approaching the pattern side wall, and an error occurs in a measured profile of the side wall portion. When a pattern having a groove width almost equal to a probe diameter is measured, the probe adheres to both side walls, the probe cannot reach the groove bottom, and the groove depth cannot be measured. When the probe adheres to a pattern side wall in measurements of a microscopic high-aspect ratio pattern using an elongated probe, the probe is caused to reach the side wall bottom by detecting the adhesion of the probe to the pattern side wall, and temporarily increasing a contact force between the probe and the sample. Also, by obtaining the data of the amount of torsion of a cantilever with the shape data of the pattern, a profile error of the side wall portion by the adhesion is corrected by the obtained data of the amount of torsion. | 06-25-2009 |
20090210971 | Displacement Measurement Method and Apparatus Thereof, Stage Apparatus, and Probe Microscope - The present invention provides a displacement measurement method, an apparatus thereof, a probe microscope. which make it possible to stably measure an amount of displacement and a moving distance of an object under measurement with an accuracy of the sub-nanometer order or below without being affected by disturbances such as fluctuations of air, mechanical vibration. | 08-20-2009 |
20100039652 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENT OF A SAMPLE - In a displacement measurement apparatus using light interference, a probe light path is spatially separated from a reference light path. Therefore, when a temperature or refractive index distribution by a fluctuation of air or the like, or a mechanical vibration is generated, an optical path difference fluctuates between both of the optical paths, and a measurement error is generated. In the solution, an optical axis of probe light is brought close to that of reference light by a distance which is not influenced by any disturbance, a sample is irradiated with the probe light, a reference surface is irradiated with the reference light, reflected light beams are allowed to interfere with each other, and a displacement of the sample is obtained from the resultant interference light to thereby prevent the measurement error from being generated by the fluctuation of the optical path difference. | 02-18-2010 |
20120062903 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENT OF A SAMPLE TO BE INSPECTED USING AN INTERFERENCE LIGHT - In a displacement measurement apparatus using light interference, a probe light path is spatially separated from a reference light path. Therefore, when a temperature or refractive index distribution by a fluctuation of air or the like, or a mechanical vibration is generated, an optical path difference fluctuates between both of the optical paths, and a measurement error is generated. In the solution, an optical axis of probe light is brought close to that of reference light by a distance which is not influenced by any disturbance, a sample is irradiated with the probe light, a reference surface is irradiated with the reference light, reflected light beams are allowed to interfere with each other, and a displacement of the sample is obtained from the resultant interference light to thereby prevent the measurement error from being generated by the fluctuation of the optical path difference. | 03-15-2012 |
20120327429 | Displacement Measurement Method and Apparatus Thereof, Stage Apparatus, and Probe Microscope - A displacement measurement method, an apparatus thereof, and a probe microscope. which enable stable measure an amount of displacement and a moving distance of an object under measurement with an accuracy of the sub-nanometer order or below without being affected by disturbances such as fluctuations of air and mechanical vibration. A pulsed beam is split into two; one beam is reflected by an object under measurement and then inputted to a delay optical path equivalent to one pulse period; and the other beam is sent through the same delay optical path in the opposite direction up to the object under measurement with a delay of one pulse period, and then reflected by the object under measurement. An optical phase variation caused by the movement of the object under measurement is obtained by subjecting the two pulsed beams to interference. | 12-27-2012 |
20140298548 | SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE - A scanning probe microscope is provided for scanning a sample surface with a probe formed on a cantilever and detecting an interaction acting between the probe and the sample surface to measure a physical property including a surface shape of the sample. The microscope includes an arrangement for detecting torsion of the cantilever and for correcting a profile error caused by deflection of the probe and torsion of the cantilever based on the amount of torsion which is detected. | 10-02-2014 |