A scanning probe microscope includes a case, an actuator, at least one elastic body, and a probe. The actuator includes a piezoelectric scanner having a cylindrical shape and a sample holder. The piezoelectric scanner is disposed inside the case to be coaxial with the case such that the first end is fixed to the bottom portion. The sample holder is provided at a second end of the piezoelectric scanner. At least one elastic body is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the case and at least one of the piezoelectric scanner and the sample holder.

Provided are a scanning probe microscope and a setting method thereof that contribute to a reduction in the time taken for measuring. The scanning probe microscope includes: a movement driving unit capable of moving a cantilever and a sample relatively in at least a z direction; and a control device operating an approach operation of making the cantilever and the sample approach to each other at a predetermined speed by controlling the movement driving unit, and stopping the approach operation when it is determined that the probe and the sample are in contact with each other, wherein the predetermined speed is set such that when the control for stopping the approach operation is performed, force applied to the sample due to contact between the probe and the sample does not exceed a preset first force.

An atomic force microscope includes a cantilever operating in amplitude modulation mode. A controller determines the amplitude of the cantilever oscillation by processing a signal representative of the cantilever motion by square-rooting a signal having a value substantially equal to a sum of a square of the received signal and a squared and phase-shifted version of the received signal. The aforementioned processing, in some implementations is implemented using analog circuit components.

The invention relates to a measuring device for a scanning probe microscope that comprises the following: a sample receptacle which is configured to receive a measurement sample to be examined; a measuring probe which is arranged on a probe holder and has a probe tip with which the measurement sample can be measured; a displacement device which is configured to move the measuring probe and the sample receptacle relative to each other, in order to measure the measurement sample, such that the measuring probe, in order to measure the measurement sample, executes a raster movement relative to said measurement sample in at least one spatial direction; a control device which is connected to the displacement device and controls the relative movement between the measuring probe and the sample receptacle; and a sensor device that is configured to detect movement measurement signals for an actual movement of the measuring probe and/or of the sample receptacle that is executed during the relative movement between the measuring probe and the sample receptacle in order to measure the measurement sample, and to relay the movement measurement signals to the control device, the movement measurement signals indicating a first movement component in a first spatial direction that disrupts the raster movement and a second movement component in a second spatial direction that disrupts the raster movement, which second spatial direction extends transversely to the first spatial direction. The control device is configured to control the relative movement between the measuring probe and the sample receptacle in such a way that the displacement device is acted upon by the control device with compensating control signal components which cause a first countermovement which substantially compensates for the first disruptive movement component in the first spatial direction, and/or cause a second countermovement which substantially compensates for the second disruptive movement component in the second spatial direction. Furthermore, a scanning probe microscope comprising the measuring device and a method for scanning probe microscopic examination of a measurement sample by means of a scanning probe microscope are provided.

An improved mode of AFM imaging (Peak Force Tapping (PFT) Mode) uses force as the feedback variable to reduce tip-sample interaction forces while maintaining scan speeds achievable by all existing AFM operating modes. Sample imaging and mechanical property mapping are achieved with improved resolution and high sample throughput, with the mode workable across varying environments, including gaseous, fluidic and vacuum.

An atomic force microscopy device arranged for determining sub-surface structures in a sample comprises a scan head with a probe including a flexible carrier and a probe tip arranged on the flexible carrier. Therein an actuator applies an acoustic input signal to the probe and a tip position detector measures a motion of the probe tip relative to the scan head during scanning, and provides an output signal indicative of said motion, to be received and analyzed by a controller. At least an end portion of the probe tip tapers in a direction away from said flexible carrier towards an end of the probe tip. The end portion has a largest cross-sectional area Amax at a distance Dend from said end, the square root of the largest cross-sectional area Amax is at least 100 nm and the distance Dend is in the range of 0.2 to 2 the value of said square root.

A method of scanning a feature with a probe, the probe comprising a cantilever mount, a cantilever extending from the cantilever mount to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever. An orientation of the probe is measured relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement. The reference surface defines a reference surface axis which is normal to the reference surface and the probe tip has a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis. A shape of the cantilever is changed in accordance with the probe orientation measurement so that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever mount and the reference tilt angle decreases from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle. A sample surface is scanned with the probe, wherein the sample surface defines a sample surface axis which is normal to the sample surface and the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle relative to the sample surface axis. During the scanning of the sample surface the cantilever mount is moved so that the probe tip is inserted into a feature in the sample surface with the scanning tilt angle below the first reference tilt angle.

A scanning probe microscope and method for resonance-enhanced detection using the scanning probe microscope uses a light source that is modulated in a range of frequencies to irradiate an interface between a probe tip of the microscope and a sample with modulated electromagnetic radiation from the light source. The vibrational response of the driven cantilever in response to the modulated electromagnetic radiation at the interface between the probe tip and the sample is then detected. The amplitude of the vibrational response of the cantilever over the entire range of modulation frequencies is measured to derive a photo-induced force microscope (PiFM) value.

An apparatus and method of operating an atomic force profiler (AFP), such as an AFM, using a feedforward control signal in subsequent scan lines of a large area sample to achieve large throughput advantages in, for example, automated applications.

In the system and method disclosed, an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip is used to selectively desorb hydrogen atoms from the Si(100)-2X1:H surface by injecting electrons at a negative sample bias voltage. A new lithography method is disclosed that allows the STM to operate under imaging conditions and simultaneously desorb H atoms as required. A high frequency signal is added to the negative sample bias voltage to deliver the required energy for hydrogen removal. The resulted current at this frequency and its harmonics are filtered to minimize their effect on the operation of the STM's feedback loop. This approach offers a significant potential for controlled and precise removal of hydrogen atoms from a hydrogen-terminated silicon surface and thus may be used for the fabrication of practical silicon-based atomic-scale devices.