Probe, manufacturing method therefor and scanning probe microscope
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A probe for a surface scanning microscope, the probe comprising:
- a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force;
an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion; and
a circular cylindrical base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the circular cylindrical base portion.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A tip of a probe is sharpened and a level difference portion 6 in a boundary zone between a base portion 5 and an elastic functioning portion 4 is formed into a tapered configuration. The diameter of the elastic functioning portion 4 is made smaller than that of the base portion 5. Also, a part of the elastic functioning portion 4 is shaped into a constricted configuration. Also, the probe material is an optical fiber and this probe is composed of a core portion 2 that propagates light therethrough and clad portions 3 that differ in refractive index from each other. And the portion of the probe that excludes a aperture is clothed by a metal film cladding 7.
41 Citations
57 Claims
-
1. A probe for a surface scanning microscope, the probe comprising:
-
a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force; an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion; and a circular cylindrical base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the circular cylindrical base portion. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
2. A probe for a surface scanning microscope and comprised of an optical waveguide comprising:
-
a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force, the sharp tip portion having at an end thereof an aperture for permitting the transmission therethrough of light and having a metal film disposed on the end of the sharp tip portion except for the aperture; an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion; and a base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the base portion.
-
-
11. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
decreasing the outside diameter of a part of a generally cylindrical-shaped probe to produce a part having a low spring constant; and sharpening an end of the part of the probe having the decreased outside diameter to form a sharp tip portion. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20)
-
-
12. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
decreasing the outside diameter of a part of a generally cylindrical-shaped probe to produce a part having a low spring constant; sharpening an end of the part of the probe having the decreased outside diameter; and forming a constricted portion in a part of an elastic functioning portion of the probe by chemical etching. - View Dependent Claims (18, 21, 22, 23, 57)
-
-
13. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
shaving off a part of a side surface of a generally cylindrical-shaped probe; decreasing the outside diameter of the portion of the probe which includes the shaved off part to produce a part having a low spring constant; and sharpening a tip portion of the probe.
-
-
24. A scanning probe microscope for measuring a topography of a sample by using an atomic force acting between the sample and a probe, the scanning probe microscope comprising:
-
a probe having a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force, an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion, and a base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the base portion; vibrating means for horizontally or vertically vibrating one of the tip portion of the probe and a surface of a sample relative to the other; detecting means for detecting a displacement of the probe; and control means for maintaining an interval between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample at a fixed value according to a detection signal output from the detecting means. - View Dependent Claims (28, 30)
-
-
25. A scanning probe microscope for measuring a topography of a sample by using an atomic force acting between the sample and a probe and for measuring optical information of the sample by using a light irradiated to or detected from the sample, the scanning probe microscope comprising:
-
a probe having a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force, an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion, and a base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the base portion; vibrating means for horizontally or vertically vibrating one of the tip portion of the probe and a surface of a sample relative to the other; detecting means for detecting a displacement of the probe; control means for maintaining an interval between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample at a fixed value according to a detection signal output from the detecting means; and measuring means for measuring optical information of the sample using light irradiated to or detected from the sample. - View Dependent Claims (29, 31, 32)
-
-
26. A scanning probe microscope for measuring a topography of a sample by contacting a probe with a surface of a sample, the scanning probe microscope comprising:
-
a probe having a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force, an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion, and a base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the base portion; vibrating means for horizontally or vertically vibrating one of the tip portion of the probe and a surface of a sample relative to the other; detecting means for detecting a displacement of the probe; and control means for maintaining an interval between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample at a fixed value according to a detection signal output from the detecting means. - View Dependent Claims (33)
-
-
27. A scanning probe microscope for measuring a topography of a sample by contacting a probe with a surface of a sample and for measuring an optical information of the sample by using a light irradiated to or detected from the sample, comprising:
-
a probe having a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force, an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion, and a base portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion and formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the base portion; vibrating means for horizontally or vertically vibrating one of the tip portion of the probe and a surface of a sample relative to the other; detecting means for detecting a displacement of the probe; control means for maintaining an interval between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample at a fixed value according to a detection signal output from the detecting means; and measuring means for measuring optical information of the sample using light irradiated to or detected from the sample. - View Dependent Claims (34)
-
-
35. A probe for a surface scanning microscope, the probe comprising:
- an optical fiber having a sharp tip portion for detecting an atomic force, an elastic functioning portion disposed in the vicinity of the sharp tip portion, and a base portion formed integrally with the elastic functioning portion for supporting the elastic functioning portion, an outer configuration of the elastic functioning portion being thinner than an outer configuration of the base portion.
-
36. A probe for a surface scanning microscope, the probe comprising:
- an optical waveguide having a base portion, a core portion for propagating light therethrough, a sharp tip portion, and an intermediate portion having a low spring constant disposed between the base portion and the sharp tip portion.
- View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
-
43. A scanning probe microscope comprising:
-
a probe having a base portion, a sharp tip portion, and an intermediate portion having a low spring constant disposed between the base portion and the sharp tip portion; vibrating means for vibrating the sharp tip portion of the probe and a surface of a sample relative to one another; detecting means for detecting a displacement of the probe; and control means for maintaining a distance between the sharp tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample constant according to a detection signal output from the detecting means. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
-
-
50. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
immersing a probe in an etching solution to decrease the outside diameter of a part of the probe by etching to produce a part having a low spring constant; drawing the probe to a required length thereof; and continuing the etching step in the etching solution to sharpen an end of the part of the probe having the decreased outside diameter to form a sharp tip portion. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52)
-
-
53. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
decreasing the outside diameter of a part of an optical waveguide to produce a part having a low spring constant; and sharpening an end of the part of the optical waveguide having the decreased outside diameter by applying a pulling force to the optical waveguide while heating the optical waveguide and pulling it to breakage.
-
-
54. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
decreasing the outer diameter of a part of a probe to produce a part having a low spring constant; sharpening an end of the part of the probe having the decreased outer diameter to form a sharp tip portion; forming a protective film on the sharp tip portion of the probe and on a portion, or the whole, of the part of the probe having the decreased outer diameter; and forming a constricted portion by wet chemical etching on a portion of the part of the probe having the decreased outer diameter which is not provided with the protective film.
-
-
55. A method for manufacturing a probe, comprising the steps of:
-
decreasing the outside diameter of a part of a probe to produce a part having a low spring constant; sharpening an end of the part of the probe having the decreased outer diameter to form a sharp tip portion; and forming a constricted portion on the part of the probe having the decreased outer diameter by chemical etching using an etching tub comprised of a first solution layer that consists mainly of hydrofluoric acid, a second solution layer having a lower specific gravity than the first solution layer and which does not react, and is not mixed, with the first solution layer, and a third solution layer having a greater specific gravity than the first solution layer and which does not react, and is not mixed, with any one of the first and second solution layers. - View Dependent Claims (56)
-
Specification