A cantilever has a probe at a tip end. An optical system emits laser light to the cantilever and detects the laser light reflected by the cantilever. A measurement unit measures characteristics of a sample based on a displacement of the cantilever obtained by a change in a position of the laser light detected by the optical system. The laser light adjustment unit adjusts, when adjusting the optical axis of the laser light, a spot diameter of the laser light to be larger than the spot diameter when measuring the characteristics of a sample. The imaging unit captures an image of a range including the position of the probe when adjusting the optical axis of the laser light. The display unit displays the captured image.

A data display processing device for a scanning probe microscope includes: a group information storage unit for managing and storing a plurality of measurement data sets; specified data acquisition means for acquiring, from the storage unit, a specified measurement data set; display controlling means for displaying the specified data set as an image; preliminary image generation means for, triggered by determination of the specified data set, acquiring other measurement data set or sets belonging to a group including the specified data set from the group information storage unit, and generating a preliminary image which is an image or images which will be used when displaying the other measurement data set or sets; and first display switching means for switching to display the preliminary image within a predetermined region in response to a first predetermined input operation by the user performed while the specified data set is displayed.

A data display processing device for a scanning probe microscope includes: a group information storage unit for managing and storing a plurality of measurement data sets; specified data acquisition means for acquiring, from the storage unit, a specified measurement data set; display controlling means for displaying the specified data set as an image; preliminary image generation means for, triggered by determination of the specified data set, acquiring other measurement data set or sets belonging to a group including the specified data set from the group information storage unit, and generating a preliminary image which is an image or images which will be used when displaying the other measurement data set or sets; and first display switching means for switching to display the preliminary image within a predetermined region in response to a first predetermined input operation by the user performed while the specified data set is displayed.

Costs may be avoided and yields improved by applying scanning probe microscopy to substrates in the midst of an integrated circuit fabrication process sequence. Scanning probe microscopy may be used to provide conductance data. Conductance data may relate to device characteristics that are normally not available until the conclusion of device manufacturing. The substrates may be selectively treated to ameliorate a condition revealed by the data. Some substrates may be selectively discarded based on the data to avoid the expense of further processing. A process maintenance operation may be selectively carried out based on the data.

A method and device for measuring dimension of a semiconductor structure are provided. A probe of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is controlled at first to move a first distance from a preset reference position to a top surface of a semiconductor structure to be measured in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the semiconductor structure to be measured, then the probe is controlled to scan the surface of the semiconductor structure to be measured while keeping the first distance in a direction parallel to the top surface of the semiconductor structure to be measured, amplitudes of the probe at respective scanning points on the surface of the semiconductor structure to be measured are detected, and a Critical Dimension (CD) of the semiconductor structure to be measured is determined according to the amplitudes of the probe at respective scanning points on the surface of the semiconductor structure.

An apparatus and a method for identifying a sample position in an atomic force microscope according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are provided. The method for identifying a sample position in an atomic force microscope includes receiving a vision image including a subject sample through a vision unit; determining a subject sample region in the vision image using a prediction model which is configured to output the subject sample region by receiving the vision image as an input; and determining a position of the subject sample based on the subject sample region.

A method of creating and characterizing a representative image of the surface of an object from acoustic emissions of a multimode ultrasonic probe tip and transducer integrated into a micro tool, such as a nano indenter or a nano indenter interfaced with a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM). The representative image may be utilized to predict mechanical properties or characteristics of the sample, including topography, fracture patterns, indents and artifacts. The tip component is configured to operate at multi-resonant frequencies providing sub-nanometer vertical resolution. The tip component may be quasi-statistically calibrated and deep learning iterative image comparison and characterization may be utilized to derive mechanical properties of a sample.

A method of creating and characterizing a representative image of the surface of an object from acoustic emissions of a multimode ultrasonic probe tip and transducer integrated into a micro tool, such as a nano indenter or a nano indenter interfaced with a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM). The representative image may be utilized to predict mechanical properties or characteristics of the sample, including topography, fracture patterns, indents and artifacts. The tip component is configured to operate at multi-resonant frequencies providing sub-nanometer vertical resolution. The tip component may be quasi-statistically calibrated and deep learning iterative image comparison and characterization may be utilized to derive mechanical properties of a sample.

A surface analysis method according to an embodiment includes: acquiring a force curve corresponding to measurement of a sample surface by a scanning probe microscope; calculating a physical quantity of an organic material forming the sample surface based on the force curve, for each of an observation point group; and outputting analysis data indicating the physical quantity of each of the observation point group. The acquiring the force curve includes acquiring the force curve at each of a plurality of observation points on a Y-column extending along a X-direction (a direction along which the probe reciprocates with respect to a stage). The calculating the physical quantity includes: generating a force curve matrix indicating the force curve at each of the plurality of observation points; and calculating the physical quantity at each of the plurality of observation points using the force curve matrix.

The present application relates to a scanning probe microscope comprising a probe arrangement for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer, wherein the scanning probe microscope comprises: (a) at least one first probe embodied to analyze the at least one defect; (b) means for producing at least one mark, by use of which the position of the at least one defect is indicated on the mask or on the wafer; and (c) wherein the mark is embodied in such a way that it may be detected by a scanning particle beam microscope.