Method for nanoscale spatial registration of scanning probes with substrates and surfaces
US7808628B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 21, 2006 |
| Grant date | Oct 5, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 10, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01Q80/00
- WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to methods and apparatuses for aligning a scanning probe used to pattern a substrate, by comparing the position of the probe to a reference location or spot on the substrate. A first light beam is focused on a surface of the substrate as a spatial reference point. A second light beam then illuminates the scanning probe being used for patterning. An optical microscope images both the focused light beam, and a diffraction pattern, shadow, or light backscattered by the illuminated scanning probe tip of a scanning probe microscope (SPM), which is typically the tip of the scanning probe on an atomic force microscope (AFM). Alignment of the scanning probe tip relative to the mark is then determined by visual observation of the microscope image. This alignment process may be repeated to allow for modification or changing of the scanning probe microscope tip.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.