Patent · US Expired

Method of adjusting the size of the area scanned by a scanning probe

US5204531A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
10References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 14, 1992
Grant dateApr 20, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 14, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S977/851
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method of adjusting the scan size of an instrument having piezoelectric scanners, such as a scanning probe microscope, including operating the instrument at a first scan size and adjusting the scan size of the instrument to a second scan size. The instrument is then precycled by scanning in each of x and y directions over substantially maximum excursions in each direction for a number of scan lines less than a complete scan of an area of the second scan size. The precycling settles the sensitivities of the piezoelectric scanners. The instrument is then operated at the second scan size to obtain data indicative of the surface of a scanned object.

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