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 for measuring a surface of an object, comprising:

• a probe part including a cantilever and a tip mounted on the cantilever;
• an XY scanner configured to relatively move the object with respect to the tip in a first direction;
• a Z scanner configured to control a distance between the tip and the surface of the object;
• an optical system configured to measure a vibration or deflection of the cantilever;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• acquire a surface characteristic of the object by controlling the XY scanner to relatively move the object in the first direction, in a normal measuring state in which the tip is vibrating at a specific frequency,
• determine an abnormal state when an amplitude of the vibrating tip is out of a specific range, and
• in response to determining the abnormal state, control the Z scanner to separate the tip from the surface of the object by contracting the Z scanner,
• wherein the controller is further configured to maintain a contraction speed of the Z scanner equal to or greater than a predetermined lower limit during the contracting of the Z scanner.

A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an atomic force microscope including a tip mounted on a cantilever, an XY scanner, and a Z scanner, cause the atomic force microscope to perform operations comprising:

• in a normal measuring state in which the tip is vibrating at a specific frequency, acquiring a surface characteristic of an object while relatively moving the object with respect to the tip in a first direction by the XY scanner;
• determining an abnormal state when an amplitude of the vibrating tip is out of a specific range;
• and
• in response to determining the abnormal state, separating the tip from the surface of the object by contracting the Z scanner,
• wherein, during the contracting of the Z scanner, a contraction speed of the Z scanner is maintained equal to or greater than a predetermined lower limit.