Patent · US Active

Method for determining the shape of a sample tip for atom probe tomography

US10746759B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by

0References

20Claims

0Family size

Assignee

IMEC VZW · BE

Inventors

Kristof Paredis · Oud-Heverlee, BE
Claudia Fleischmann · Leuven, BE
Wilfried Vandervorst · Mechelen, BE

Key dates

Filing date	Mar 7, 2019
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Mar 7, 2039

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH01J2237/282
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The disclosed technology relates to a method and apparatus for correctly positioning a probe suitable for scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The probe is positioned relative to the apex region of a needle-shaped sample, such as a sample for atom probe tomography, in order to perform a SPM acquisition of the apex region to obtain an image of the region. In one aspect, the positioning takes place by an iterative process, starting from a position wherein one side plane of the pyramid-shaped SPM probe interacts with the sample tip. By controlled consecutive scans in two orthogonal directions, the SPM probe tip approaches and finally reaches a position wherein a tip area of the probe interacts with the sample tip's apex region.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.