Fast-scanning SPM and method of operating same

US7770231B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Veeco Instruments Inc. · US

Inventors

• Craig Prater · Lompoc, US
• Chanmin Su · Ventura, US
• Nghi Phan · Lompoc, US
• Jeffrey M. Markakis · Lompoc, US
• Craig Cusworth · Redding, US
• Jian Shi · Suzhou, CN
• Johannes Kindt · Weimar, DE
• Steven Nagle · Lindenhurst, US
• Wenjun Fan · Oxnard, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 2, 2007
• Grant date: Aug 3, 2010
• Expiry date: Dec 29, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01Q60/38
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided that have the capability of rapidly scanning a large sample of arbitrary characteristics under force control feedback so has to obtain a high resolution image. The method includes generating relative scanning movement between a probe of the SPM and a sample to scan the probe through a scan range of at least 4 microns at a rate of at least 30 lines/sec and controlling probe-sample interaction with a force control slew rate of at least 1 mm/sec. A preferred SPM capable of achieving these results has a force controller having a force control bandwidth of at least closed loop bandwidth of at least 10 kHz.