Probe position control system and method
US7703314B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 24, 2007 |
| Grant date | Apr 27, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 26, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01Q70/04
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention provides a technique for eliminating the effect of the thermal drift and other variances and to improve the observing or manipulating accuracy of a scanning probe microscope or atom manipulator by using the technique to correct the aforementioned change in the relative position of the probe and the sample due to heat or other factors during the observation or manipulation. To obtain an image of the sample surface at the atomic level or perform a certain manipulation on an atom on the sample surface, the present invention can be applied to a probe position control method for controlling the relative position of the probe and the sample while measuring an interaction between the objective atom on the sample surface and the tip of the probe. In the present method, the relative position of the probe and the sample are changed while the probe is oscillated relative to the sample in two directions parallel to the sample surface at frequencies of f1 and f2 (S1a). Meanwhile, a point (or characteristic point) where the frequencies f1 and f2 disappear from the measured value of the interaction working in the direction perpendicular to the sample surface is detected (S1b…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.