Provided is a scanning probe microscope with which measurement data and a distribution image of differential data of the measurement data can be displayed selectively or together, an edge enhancement image can be obtained, and user convenience is improved. A scanning probe microscope (200) includes: a distribution image calculator (40a) configured to calculate a one-dimensional or two-dimensional first distribution image (201) of measurement data, and a one-dimensional or two-dimensional second distribution image (202) of differential data of adjacent data elements of the measurement data; and a display controller (40b) configured to instruct the distribution image calculator to calculate at least one of the first distribution image or the second distribution image, and to display the calculated distribution image on a predetermined display.

An acoustic analysis device based on atomic force microscopy for the volume analysis of an organic or inorganic sample includes a support on which the sample is immobilized, and an atomic force microscopy lever having a free end provided with a part that interacts with an upper face of the sample and scans said upper face, one or at least two of the independent piezoelectric actuators supplying ultrasonic waves with interferential coupling, and acoustic measurement and analysis bodies associated with the atomic force microscopy lever. The support is a total reflection prism to which the piezoelectric actuators are applied, and the piezoelectric actuators are applied in determined positions on said prism in order to define determined angles of excitation of the ultrasonic waves.

Described are techniques for obtaining spectroscopic information from sub-micron regions of a sample using a probe microscope. The current invention uses the response of an AFM cantilever at a plurality of frequencies to substantially reduce the impact of background absorption away from the sub-micron region of interest. This innovation substantially improves the quality of spectra for top down illumination of samples that are not suitable for bottoms up illumination of the prior art.

A high-frequency enhanced electrochemical strain microscope (ESM) according to the present invention is configured to map an amount of local ESM response generated by applying a first AC voltage to a surface of a sample with a tip portion of a probe brought into contact with the surface of the sample. The high-frequency enhanced electrochemical strain microscope includes an AC voltage source configured to apply a second AC voltage to be superimposed on the first AC voltage and having a frequency higher than a frequency of the first AC voltage.

To avoid applying overload on both a probe and a sample surface, and to reduce time for measuring irregular shapes on the sample surface in performing an intermittent measurement method, provided is a scanning probe microscope including: a cantilever having a probe attached thereto, the scanning probe microscope being configured to scan a sample surface by intermittently bringing the probe into contact with the sample surface; and a control device configured to perform a first operation of bringing the probe and the sample surface into contact with each other, and a second operation of separating the probe and the sample surface from each other after the first operation. The control device executes the second operation by thermally deforming the cantilever.

Provided is a scanning probe microscope with which measurement data and a distribution image of differential data of the measurement data can be displayed selectively or together, an edge enhancement image can be obtained, and user convenience is improved. A scanning probe microscope (200) includes: a distribution image calculator (40a) configured to calculate a one-dimensional or two-dimensional first distribution image (201) of measurement data, and a one-dimensional or two-dimensional second distribution image (202) of differential data of adjacent data elements of the measurement data; and a display controller (40b) configured to instruct the distribution image calculator to calculate at least one of the first distribution image or the second distribution image, and to display the calculated distribution image on a predetermined display.

An acoustic analysis device based on atomic force microscopy for the volume analysis of an organic or inorganic sample includes a support on which the sample is immobilized, and an atomic force microscopy lever having a free end provided with a part that interacts with an upper face of the sample and scans said upper face, one or at least two of the independent piezoelectric actuators supplying ultrasonic waves with interferential coupling, and acoustic measurement and analysis bodies associated with the atomic force microscopy lever. The support is a total reflection prism to which the piezoelectric actuators are applied, and the piezoelectric actuators are applied in determined positions on said prism in order to define determined angles of excitation of the ultrasonic waves.

A test apparatus includes a movable stage to support a sample, tips above the stage that have different shapes and alternately perform profiling and milling on the sample, a tip stage connected to a cantilever coupled to the tips, the tip stage to adjust a position of the cantilever, a position sensor to obtain information about a positional relationship between the tips and the sample, a stage controller to control movements of the stage and the tip stage, based on the information about the positional relationship, and a tip controller to select the tips for performing the profiling or milling and to determine conditions for performing milling, wherein a depth of the sample being processed by the milling in the first direction is controlled based on a relationship between a distance between the tips and the sample and a force between the tips and the sample.

A method for in-line measurement of the quality of a microarray are disclosed and the method includes the following steps. A solid substrate is provided, and the solid substrate includes a plurality of areas in an array. At least one biomarker is in-situ synthesized on at least one of the plurality of areas by a plurality of synthesis steps. After performing at least one of the plurality of synthesis step, a check step is immediately performed on a semi-product of the at least one biomarker by an atomic force microscope to obtain an in-line measurement result. The quality of the semi-product of the at least one biomarker is determined based on the in-line measurement result.

A method and a scanning probe microscope (SPM) for scanning a surface of a material. The method and SPM have a cantilever sensor configured to exhibit both a first spring behavior and a second, stiffer spring behavior. While operating the SPM in contact mode, the sensor is scanned on the material surface and a first spring behavior of the sensor (e.g. a fundamental mode of flexure thereof) is excited by deflection of the sensor by the material surface. Also while operating the SPM in contact mode, excitation means are used to excite a second spring behavior of the sensor at a resonance frequency thereof (e.g. one or more higher-order resonant modes) of the cantilever sensor to modulate an interaction of the sensor and the material surface and thereby reduce the wearing of the material surface.