Probe device

• US 7,250,602 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Osaka University
• Original Assignee: Osaka University
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Takuya, Kawai, Tomoji, Naitoh, Yasuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells; Nikita
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOUW, BERNARD E
• Application Number:
  US11/065,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20050139770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 250/306, 250/307, 250/310, 250/423.F, 324/762, 324/719, 324/713, 324/750, 324/754, 731/04, 731/05
• US Class Current: 250/310
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 35/00 Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 60/34 Tapping mode

Abstract

A probe device comprises a cantilever comprising a probe allocated to be opposed to a surface of a sample, means for feeding back a vibration amplitude value of the cantilever, thereby self-exciting and vibrating the cantilever at a predetermined frequency, means for applying a bias to the sample or the probe, and means for measuring a frequency shift caused by a charge-transfer force which acts between the cantilever and the sample.

Claims

1. A probe device comprising:

a cantilever comprising a probe allocated to be opposed to a surface of a sample;

means for feeding back a deflection signal value of the cantilever, thereby self-exciting and vibrating the cantilever at a predominant frequency;

means for applying a bias to the sample or the probe; and

means for measuring a frequency shift caused by a charge-transfer force which acts between the cantilever and the sample.

2. A probe device according to claim 1, further comprising a piezoelectric element configured to mount the sample thereon and to move the sample in a first direction vertical to a surface of the sample, such that the vibration amplitude value of the cantilever is fed back to the piezoelectric element and thereby maintains a distance between the sample and the probe to be constant.

3. A probe device according to claim 2, wherein the piezoelectric element is configured to move the sample on a plane vertical to the first direction.

4. A probe device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bias is variable.

5. A probe device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means for measuring a frequency shift is configured to change the bias, and to control an electric potential difference between the probe and the sample, and thereby measure a frequency shift.

6. A probe device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

means for imaging information relating to the charge-transfer force based on the frequency shift when imaging height information.