A sensing probe may be formed of a diamond material comprising one or more spin defects that are configured to emit fluorescent light and are located no more than 50 nm from a sensing surface of the sensing probe. The sensing probe may include an optical outcoupling structure formed by the diamond material and configured to optically guide the fluorescent light toward an output end of the optical outcoupling structure. An optical detector may detect the fluorescent light that is emitted from the spin defects and that exits through the output end of the optical outcoupling structure after being optically guided therethrough. A mounting system may hold the sensing probe and control a distance between the sensing surface of the sensing probe and a surface of a sample while permitting relative motion between the sensing surface and the sample surface.

An apparatus for measuring a magnetic field strength is provided. The apparatus includes a stage on which a sample to be measured is placed, a cantilever having a tip, an optical system having a light source and a light receiver, and a microwave power source. The tip is a diamond tip having a nitrogen vacancy defect. The optical system is configured such that excitation light from the light source is focused at the diamond tip. The cantilever is configured as a coaxial microwave antenna through which microwaves from the microwave power source are supplied to the diamond tip.

A nano scale robotic system for single cell DNA sequencing of a strand of DNA positioned on a slide utilizes an atomic force microscope (AFM) having an end effector in the form of a cantilever with a tip. The AFM causes its cantilever tip to scan over the base pairs of the DNA strand. A pair of spaced-apart electrodes at the tip makes contact with opposite sides of the DNA strand and the current between bases of the DNA strand is measured by a current measurement system connected to the electrodes. An artificial intelligence-based data analytic system determines the DNA sequence based on the current from the current measuring system. The AFM tip is guided over the DNA strand by comparing compressed desired intensity local scan images and compressed actual intensity local scan images and using the difference to control the location of the tip.

A nano scale robotic system for single cell DNA sequencing of a strand of DNA positioned on a slide utilizes an atomic force microscope (AFM) having an end effector in the form of a cantilever with a tip. The AFM causes its cantilever tip to scan over the base pairs of the DNA strand. A pair of spaced-apart electrodes at the tip makes contact with opposite sides of the DNA strand and the current between bases of the DNA strand is measured by a current measurement system connected to the electrodes. An artificial intelligence-based data analytic system determines the DNA sequence based on the current from the current measuring system. The AFM tip is guided over the DNA strand by comparing compressed desired intensity local scan images and compressed actual intensity local scan images and using the difference to control the location of the tip.

A sample for atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy includes a substrate, a measurement portion provided on the substrate and having a first light absorption intensity when a light of a first wavelength is irradiated thereon, and a first film provided on the measurement portion and having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the measurement portion and a second light absorption intensity, which is less than the first light absorption intensity, when the light of the first wavelength is irradiated thereon.

A sample for atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy includes a substrate, a measurement portion provided on the substrate and having a first light absorption intensity when a light of a first wavelength is irradiated thereon, and a first film provided on the measurement portion and having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the measurement portion and a second light absorption intensity, which is less than the first light absorption intensity, when the light of the first wavelength is irradiated thereon.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for extending a time period until changing a measuring tip of a scanning probe microscope. In particular, the invention relates to a method for hardening a measuring tip for a scanning probe microscope, comprising the step of: Processing the measuring tip with a beam of an energy beam source, the energy beam source being part of a scanning electron microscope.

The invention relates to a method for electrically examining electronic components of an integrated circuit. According to the invention, a method for electrically examining electronic components of an integrated circuit (1) is provided, comprising a target region (3) to be examined in which electronic components having contact points (5) are located, and a remaining region, referred to as non-target region (2), in which an examination is carried out using a combined SEM/AFM nanoprobe. In a first step, the non-target region (2) is at least partially imaged with the scanning electron microscope part of the SEM/AFM nanoprobe, and in a subsequent step the target region (3) is at least partially imaged with the atomic force microscope part of the SEM/AFM nanoprobe.

The invention relates to a method for electrically examining electronic components of an integrated circuit. According to the invention, a method for electrically examining electronic components of an integrated circuit (1) is provided, comprising a target region (3) to be examined in which electronic components having contact points (5) are located, and a remaining region, referred to as non-target region (2), in which an examination is carried out using a combined SEM/AFM nanoprobe. In a first step, the non-target region (2) is at least partially imaged with the scanning electron microscope part of the SEM/AFM nanoprobe, and in a subsequent step the target region (3) is at least partially imaged with the atomic force microscope part of the SEM/AFM nanoprobe.

A method and system for performing subsurface atomic force microscopy measurements, the system comprising: a signal source for generating an drive signal; a transducer configured to receive the drive signal for converting the drive signal into vibrational waves and coupling said vibrational waves into a stack comprising a sample for interaction with subsurface features within said sample; cantilever tip for contacting the sample for measuring surface displacement resulting from the vibrational waves to determine subsurface features; wherein the system includes a measurement device for measuring a measurement signal returning from the transducer during and/or in between the subsurface atomic force microscopy measurements.