Scanning tunneling microscope

• US 4,999,495 A
• Filed: 08/29/1989
• Issued: 03/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SII NanoTechnology Inc. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ishijima, Hiroshi, Miyata, Chikara, Yasutake, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Janice A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kiet T.
• Application Number:
  US07/399,910
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 250/306, 250/309, 250/310, 250/311, 250/423 F, 250/281, 250/288, 350/520
• US Class Current: 850/3
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 35/00 Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 30/025 Optical microscopes coupled with SPM
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 60/16 Probes, their manufacture, or their related instrumentation, e.g. holders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/872 Positioner

Abstract

In a tunneling unit of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), a rough feed mechanism for approaching a sample and a probe to a tunnel area is disposed separately (or is provided to a stage on a sample side, for example), a fine movement element block is formed as a separate unit and the tunnel unit main body is made compact and provided with high rigidity so that it can be mounted to an optical microscope or a laser microscope. If the fine movement element block of the tunnel unit is mounted to a revolver of an optical microscope or the like, rotation positioning accuracy of the revolver is a few microns. Therefore, high precision positioning of the position to be observed by STM can be attained by optical means and measurement having high resolution in an nm order can be conducted by use of STM. Since STM can be mounted to an existing apparatus in accordance with the present invention, measurement accuracy can be improved drastically and the invention is extremely useful industrially.

Claims

1. A scanning tunneling microscope comprising a fine movement element block having a probe and a fine movement element is disposed removably to a revolver of a microscope and a rough movement mechanism for moving a sample in the direction of said probe is disposed on a sample stage of said microscope.

2. A scanning tunneling microscope comprising:

a fine movement element block consisting of a probe fitted to the tip of the fine movement element, said fine movement element for driving said probe in three axial directions and a group of terminals connected to said probe and to the electrodes of said fine movement element;

a support unit having the group of terminals disposed in such a manner as to correspond to said group of terminals; and

fixing means for fixing said support unit and said fine movement element.

3. A scanning tunneling microscope which is an apparatus for scanning tunneling microscopy by positioning a measurement position of a sample by optical observation means, said scanning tunneling microscope comprising an objective lens and an STM detection unit are supported by a moving mechanism capable of positioning.

4. The scanning tunneling microscope according to claim 3, wherein a revolver unit capable of fixing a plurality of objective lenses is supported by said moving mechanism.

5. The scanning tunneling microscope according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of STM detection units are supported by said moving mechanism.

6. The scanning tunneling microscope according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of STM detection units are supported by said moving mechanism through a revolver in such a manner as to be capable of rotating and positioning.