Controlling engagement of a scanning microscope probe with a segmented piezoelectric actuator
US5902928A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 2, 1997 |
| Grant date | May 11, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 2, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/851
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A scanning probe microscope includes a segmented piezoelectric actuator having a course segment and a fine segment, the outputs of which are combined to determine the movement of a distal end of the actuator, to which the probe is mechanically coupled. Movement of the probe tip, or a change in the level of its engagement with a sample surface is sensed by a detector, which generates a feedback signal. A correction signal, which is used to determine how the actuator should be moved to maintain a constant level of such engagement, is generated in a comparison circuit, which compares the feedback signal with a control signal. The correction signal is used to drive the fine segment of the actuator, while an integral of the correction signal is used to drive the coarse segment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.