Non-contact force microscope having a coaxial cantilever-tip configuration
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents acting for Arizona State University
InventorsRalph V. Chamberlin, Anthony DiCarlo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention comprises a highly sensitive non-contact force microscope having a coaxial cantilever-tip configuration and a method of forming such configuration. The non-contact microscope obtains high resolution graphical images of a sample surface topography, and/or other properties thereof including its electrostatic, magnetic, or Van der Waals forces.
Claims19
A non-contact force microscope for measuring a plurality of properties of a sample mounted therein comprising:
- a) a support structure;
- b) a cantilever-tip configuration having an elongated cantilever portion and a sharpened tip portion axially extending therefrom and mounted to said support structure;
- c) a sample stage mounted to said support structure in operative relationship beneath said cantilever-tip configuration;
- d) a sample to be measured having an X, Y and Z axis;
- e) means for positioning said sample upon said stage in non-contact responsive relationship to said tip portion along said Z-axis of said sample;
- f) means for rastering said sample under said tip portion in the plane defined by said X and Y axes;
- g) means for exciting the mechanical resonance of said cantilever-tip configuration;
- h) a first capacitance probe disposed on said support structure in operative relationship to said cantilever-tip configuration to measure variations in the capacitance caused by motion of said cantilever-tip configuration along said X axis which corresponds to the changes of the forces and force gradients of said sample;
- and
- i) means for generating a graphic image by recording and plotting said changes of the forces and force gradients as a function of X and Y position of said sample.
Means for measuring normal or perpendicular and traverse forces and force gradients emanating from a sample comprising a non-contact force microscope having:
- a) a support structure;
- b) a cantilever-tip configuration having an elongated cantilever portion and a sharpened tip portion coaxially extending therefrom and mounted to said support structure so that said cantilever-tip configuration may oscillate in non-contact pendulum-like fashion over said sample when said sample is mounted on a sample stage on said support structure in non-contact operative and perpendicular relationship beneath said cantilever-tip configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.