An optical sensor including a MEMS structure, and a grating coupled resonating structure positioned adjacent to the MEMS structure, the grating coupled resonating structure comprising an interrogating grating coupler configured to direct light towards the MEMS structure. The interrogating grating coupler is two dimensional, and the interrogating grating coupler and the MEMS structure form an optical resonant cavity.

Method and system in optical microscopy based on the deflection of micro- and nanomechanical structures, upon impact of a laser beam thereon, which simultaneously and automatically provides a spatial map of the static deflection and of the form of various vibration modes, with vertical resolution in the subangstrom range. The invention comprises at least one mechanical structure, an incident laser beam sweeping the surface of the structure, an optometric detector for capturing the laser beam, and frequency excitation means that generate at least two sinusoidal signals at different frequencies in the mechanical structure.

Method and system in optical microscopy based on the deflection of micro- and nanomechanical structures, upon impact of a laser beam thereon, which simultaneously and automatically provides a spatial map of the static deflection and of the form of various vibration modes, with vertical resolution in the subangstrom range. The invention comprises at least one mechanical structure, an incident laser beam sweeping the surface of the structure, an optometric detector for capturing the laser beam, and frequency excitation means that generate at least two sinusoidal signals at different frequencies in the mechanical structure.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for examining and/or processing a sample, said apparatus comprising: (a) a scanning particle microscope for providing a beam of charged particles, which can be directed on a surface of the sample; and (b) a scanning probe microscope with a deflectable probe; (c) wherein a detection structure is attached to the deflectable probe.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for examining and/or processing a sample, said apparatus comprising: (a) a scanning particle microscope for providing a beam of charged particles, which can be directed on a surface of the sample; and (b) a scanning probe microscope with a deflectable probe; (c) wherein a detection structure is attached to the deflectable probe.

This invention relates to a metrological scanning probe microscope system combining an SPM which employs an optical lever arrangement to measure displacement of the probe indirectly with another SPM which measures the displacement of the probe directly through the use of an interferometric detection scheme.

This invention relates to a metrological scanning probe microscope system combining an SPM which employs an optical lever arrangement to measure displacement of the probe indirectly with another SPM which measures the displacement of the probe directly through the use of an interferometric detection scheme.

An atomic force microscope (“AFM”) based interferometer, uses a light source, and a splitting optical interface, splitting the light beam into a signal light beam and a reference light beam. Both the signal and reference light beams are focused in the vicinity of an AFM cantilever. A beam displacer introduces a lateral displacement between the signal light beam and reference light beam, the lateral displacement being such that, in at least one plane between the beam displacer and the focusing lens structure, the center of the signal light beam is separated from the center of the reference light beam by more than half a sum of their beam diameters on that plane. A detector operates to determine differences in optical path length between the signal light beam and reference light beam to determine information about movement of the cantilever.

An atomic force microscope (“AFM”) based interferometer, uses a light source, and a splitting optical interface, splitting the light beam into a signal light beam and a reference light beam. Both the signal and reference light beams are focused in the vicinity of an AFM cantilever. A beam displacer introduces a lateral displacement between the signal light beam and reference light beam, the lateral displacement being such that, in at least one plane between the beam displacer and the focusing lens structure, the center of the signal light beam is separated from the center of the reference light beam by more than half a sum of their beam diameters on that plane. A detector operates to determine differences in optical path length between the signal light beam and reference light beam to determine information about movement of the cantilever.

A SPM head incorporates a probe and a cantilever on which the probe is mounted. The cantilever has a planar reflecting surface proximate a free end of the cantilever. The cantilever extends from a mechanical mount and a single-mode optical fiber is supported by the mechanical mount to provide a beam. A micromirror is mounted to reflect the beam substantially 90° to the planar reflecting surface.