Method for obtaining characteristics of surface to be measured, by using inclined tip, atomic force microscope for performing method, and computer program stored in storage medium in order to perform method

An atomic force microscope configured to measure a surface of an object by a probe part having a tip and a cantilever, the atomic force microscope comprising:

• an XY scanner configured to move the object so that the tip relatively moves in a first direction with respect to the surface of the object;
• a head configured so that the probe part may be mounted, the head including an optical system capable of measuring vibration or deflection of the cantilever and a Z scanner configured to move the probe part in at least a second direction and in a direction opposite to the second direction so as to control a distance between the tip and the surface of the object based on data obtained by the optical system;
• and
• a controller configured to control the XY scanner and the head so as to:
• acquire a surface characteristic of the object while relatively moving the tip in a first direction with respect to the surface of the object using a first control method in a normal measuring state,
• control the tip to deviate from an abnormal measuring state by a second control method set based on a predefined of the surface of the object when the abnormal measuring state is determined, the abnormal measuring state existing when at least one characteristic value obtained in the normal measuring state is out of a specific range, and
• return to the first control method if the abnormal measuring state is determined to not exist while using the second control method,
• wherein, in the second control method, the tip is controlled to vibrate at a specific frequency, the at least one characteristic value including an amplitude of the vibrating tip, the abnormal measuring state determined when the amplitude is out of the specific range,
• wherein the second control method is configured by combining
• a first operation of relatively moving the tip in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the surface of the object, and
• a second operation of separating the tip from the surface of the object, and
• wherein the second control method is defined so that the first operation and the second operation are selectively executed as either (i) a combined operation performed simultaneously or (ii) alternating operations performed sequentially.