Scanning tunneling microscope
US5138159A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 8, 1991 |
| Grant date | Aug 11, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/861
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
White light emitted from a light source is made incident on a spectroscope via a lens. The light from the spectroscope is converged by a lens and fed to one end of an optical fiber. The other end of the fiber is provided with a probe. The probe has a pointed end portion coated with a total reflection film and a transparent electrically conductive film. The probe is attached to a cylindrical piezoelectric actuator via a metal frame. Thus, the probe is scanned along the surface of a sample, and the distance between the probe and the surface of the sample is controlled. The light emitted from the tip of the probe and transmitted through the sample is converged by a lens system and radiated on a photoelectrical conversion element. The output from the photoelectrical conversion element is processed by a signal processor, and the processed result is displayed on a display. A driver circuit scans the probe along the surface of the sample, and controls the distance between the probe and the sample upon receiving a tunnel current. The output from the driver circuit is processed by the signal processor and an STM image is displayed on the display.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.