Patent · US Active

Method and apparatus for avoiding damage when analysing a sample surface with a scanning probe microscope

US9995764B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by

4References

24Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH · DE

Inventors

Hans Hermann Pieper · Darmstadt, DE
Christof Baur · Darmstadt, DE
Rainer Fettig · Steinmauern, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Mar 10, 2037

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01Q60/30
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present application relates to a method for avoiding damage when analyzing a sample surface with a scanning probe microscope, the method comprising the step of: detecting an electrostatic interaction between a charging of the sample surface and a measuring tip of the scanning probe microscope in the course of the approach of the measuring tip to the sample surface already at a distance from the sample surface which is greater than the distance of the measuring tip when analyzing the sample surface.

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