Nanotweezer and scanning probe microscope equipped with nanotweezer

A nanotweezer, comprising:

• a supporting member;
• an observation probe that extends from the supporting member along a specific direction, and includes a probe portion to be used when a surface of a specimen is observed and a first holding portion for holding the specimen;
• a moveable arm that extends from the supporting member along the specific direction, is arranged next to the observation probe, and includes a second holding portion facing to the first holding portion along the specific direction;
• and
• a drive mechanism that drives the moveable arm in linear displacement along the direction in which the moveable arm extends so as to hold the specimen between the first holding portion and the second holding portion or release the specimen from therebetween, wherein:
• the first holding portion is a projection projecting out from the observation probe toward the specimen surface and includes a first holding surface extending perpendicular to the specific direction and the probe portion provided at a front end of the projection,
• the second holding portion includes a second holding surface for holding the specimen between the first holding surface and the second holding surface,
• the first holding surface and the second holding surface are formed so as to extend perpendicular to the specific direction, and
• the drive mechanism drives the moveable arm through thermal deformation caused by heat generated with supplied electric power or loss of heat caused by cutting the supply of power, so that the surface of the moveable arm for holding the specimen comes closer to or farther from the surface of the observation probe for holding the specimen in a state substantially parallel to each other, thereby holding the sample between the observation probe and the moveable arm or releasing the sample from therebetween.

A nanotweezer, comprising:

• a supporting member;
• a pair of arms that are arranged side-by-side extending along a specific direction from the supporting member with holding portions having respective holding surfaces for holding a specimen therebetween each provided at one of the pair of arms;
• a probe portion for observing a surface of a specimen and is provided at least one of the pair of arms;
• a force-applying mechanism that applies a force to the pair of arms so as to move the arms toward each other until the holding portions at the pair of arms come in contact with each other at the holding surfaces in a state substantially parallel to each other;
• and
• a drive mechanism that drives the pair of arms so as to move the pair of arms away from each other against the force applied by the force-applying mechanism, wherein
• the nanotweezer further comprises a thermal actuator serving as the force-applying mechanism and the drive mechanism in combination, and
• the thermal actuator drives the moveable arm through thermal deformation caused by heat generated with supplied electric power or loss of heat caused by cutting the supply of power, so that a distance between the holding surface of the moveable arm and the holding surface of the observation probe is adjustable in a state substantially parallel to each other, thereby holding the sample between the observation probe and the moveable arm or releasing the sample from therebetween.