Probe scanning method

• US 20010032496A1
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Published: 10/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kazutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,571,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/105
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 35/00 Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 10/06 Circuits or algorithms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/851 Particular movement or positioning of scanning tip

Abstract

To provide a scanning method in which a probe is staggered across an uneven surface of a sample without increasing a relative speed thereof, and measurement of physical quantities acting on the probe and sample can be doubled compared with those measured by the conventional raster scan method. This method substantially improves a scanning speed.

A probe is staggered relatively over the surface of a sample by +1 scanning unit in X and Y directions, and physical quantities acting on the probe and sample are measured. Thereafter, the probe is staggered by +1 scanning unit in the X direction and by −1 scanning unit in the Y direction so that physical quantities acting on them are measured. The staggering movement of the probe is repeated to measure the physical quantities.

Claims

1. A probe scanning method using a scanning probe microscope such as an AFM (atomic force microscope) or an STM (scanning tunneling microscope) in order to detect physical quantities acting on a probe and a sample and to measure a surface shape and physical quantities of the sample, wherein, when scanning within a plane between the sample and the probe, physical quantities acting on the probe and the sample are measured by relatively staggering the probe with respect to the sample in X and Y directions, and image data for the measured physical quantities data within the XY plane are created using the measured physical quantities data and relative positional in-plane information of the probe and the sample.

2. The probe scanning method of

claim 1

, wherein physical quantities acting on the probe and the sample are measured by relatively staggering the probe with respect to the sample in X and Y directions, and the measured physical quantities data and relative positional in-plane information of the probe and the sample are used, and in order to improve resolution of surface measurement of the sample in the X and Y directions, image data of physical quantities of the X and Y surfaces which are not actually measured are interpolated using physical quantities at positions near the X and Y surfaces where physical quantities are actually measured.