Seiko Instruments Inc

Sony Corporation

Other

Hitachi High-tech Science Corporation

Sii Nanotechnology Inc.

Akira Inoue

Masatsugu Shigeno

Yoshiharu Shirakawabe

Masatoshi Yasutake

Naoya Watanabe

Osamu Matsuzawa

Amiko Nihei

Kazutoshi Watanabe

Mitsuhiro Suzuki

Yuji Yamamoto

Gerd K Binnig

Hiroshi Muramatsu

Walter Haeberle

Nobuhiro Shimizu

Shigeru Wakiyama

Tatsuya Miyatani

Shusuke Takahashi

Takeshi Umemoto

Akihiko Honma

Akihiro Mukai

Itaru Kitajima

Ryuichi Matsuzaki

Fumiki Sakai

Akihiko Homma

A voice processing device includes a voice pitch converting unit that performs a voice pitch converting process with respect to an input voice signal and converts voice pitch of the input voice signal, an error detecting unit that detects an error between the number of samples of an output voice signal, which is expected, and the number of samples of the output voice signal, which is actually output, and a time length control unit that controls adjustment of the time length in such a manner that the time length of the output voice signal is corrected by the amount of the error.

Voice processing device and method, and program

A cell detachment method for detaching only a desired cell from a plurality of cells cultured on a substrate under predetermined culture environment conditions by using a scanning probe microscope having a probe, comprising: observing the plural cells; specifying the cell to be detached; moving the probe onto the specified cell; and pressing the prove against the specified cell with a predetermined force so as to detach the cell from the substrate.

Cell detachment method

An electric potential difference detection method detects an electric potential difference between a surface of a sample and a probe of a cantilever in a scanning probe microscope. An AC voltage having a frequency that is &#xbd; of a resonance frequency of the cantilever is applied between the sample and the cantilever, and a magnitude of an amplitude of vibration of the cantilever is detected. On the basis of the detection, a determination is made as to whether an electric potential difference exists or does not exist between the surface of the sample and the cantilever probe. A determination that an electric potential difference between the surface of the sample and the cantilever probe does not exist is made in a case where the cantilever is resonating and the detected magnitude of the amplitude of vibration of the cantilever is greater than a predetermined magnitude.

Electric potential difference detection method and scanning probe microscope

A cantilever includes: a lever portion; a holder portion supporting the proximal end of the lever portion; a probe portion arranged at the distal end of the lever portion and having a spherical surface to face a sample; and a retaining portion fixed to the distal end of the lever portion and retaining the probe portion to surround a periphery of the probe portion. There is provided a cantilever allowing mounting of a probe portion with little effect in a short time without using any adhesive.

Cantilever and cantilever manufacturing method

A liquid cellfor fixing a sample S in a condition in which the sample S is dipped in a solution W, including a lower mountincluding a bottom platehaving a mounting surfaceon which the sample is mounted, and a wall sectiondisposed on the bottom plate so as to surround the periphery of the mounted sample and capable of trapping the solution inside the surrounded area, an upper mountincluding an upper plateabutting on an upper surface of the wall section, and a flange sectionformed so as to be bent from an outer edge of the upper plate at an angle of substantially 90 degrees, and abutting on an outer peripheral surface of the wall section, the upper mount being capable of fitting to the lower mount from above, and a holding memberthat abuts on an outer edge of the sample to press the sample against the mounting surface from above when the upper mount fits, wherein, an outer peripheral surface of the wall section and an inner circumferential surface of the flange section are provided with fitting meansthat fits the upper mount to the lower mount while screwing the upper mount, is provided.

Liquid cell

A scanning probe microscope has a probe needle and a control section that controls relative scanning movement between the probe needle and a surface of a sample in at least one direction parallel to the sample surface and controls relative movement between the probe needle and the sample surface in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface. A vibration source vibrates the probe needle at a vibrating frequency relative to the sample surface. An approach/separation drive section causes the probe needle to relatively approach to and separate from the sample surface at a predetermined distance while the probe needle is vibrated at the vibrating frequency relative to the sample surface by the vibration source. A detection section detects a rate of change in a vibration state of the probe needle in accordance with a distance between the probe needle and the sample surface. An observation section gathers observation data from the sample surface when the rate of change in the vibration state of the probe needle detected by the detection section has exceeded a preselected threshold value.

Scanning probe microscope and scanning method

A scanning probe microscope has a probe tip for undergoing a scanning operation to scan a sample surface in X- and Y-directions parallel to the sample surface and for undergoing movement in a Z-direction vertical to the sample surface. A vibration unit vibrates the probe tip at a vibration frequency that resonates with of forcedly vibrates the probe tip. An observation unit collects observational data from the sample surface when the probe tip is in proximity or contact with the sample surface. A detection unit detects a variation in the state of vibration of the probe tip when the probe tip is in proximity or contact with the sample surface during a scanning operation. A control controls scanning of the probe tip in the X- and Y-directions and movement of the probe tip in the Z-direction, and controls scanning of the probe tip in a direction parallel to the sample surface after the observational data is collected from the sample surface and until the probe tip reached a next observation position in the X- and Y-direction. During a scanning operation, the control unit controls the probe tip to move in the Z-direction away from the sample surface only when the detection unit detects a variation in the state of vibration of the probe tip.

A measuring method and apparatus of a scanning probe microscope which is easy to initially set caused by exchanging a cantilever. A cantilever is effected of Z rough movement while forcibly vibrating a sample. When a contact pressure of the cantilever against the sample becomes a predetermined magnitude, the Z rough movement is ended. The forcible vibrational frequency may be a new resonant frequency caused by contacting the cantilever with the sample, or a shift resonant frequency. Then, XY scanning is effected to measure while putting the cantilever into light contact with a sample surface. It is possible to use, as an apparatus to forcibly vibrate the cantilever, a multi-layer piezoelectric element that responds to an output signal from an oscillator for outputting a signal at a predetermined frequency.

Scanning probe microscope and method of measuring geometry of sample surface with scanning probe microscope

A scanning probe microscope for scanning a probe needle in proximity to a surface of a sample in XY-axis directions while moving at least one of the probe and the sample in a Z-axis direction has a plurality of band-pass filters for passing a plurality of band-pass signals by extracting predetermined frequency bands different one another from a surface geometry signal output by a probe. An image memory stores the respective band-pass signals and corresponding positions on the sample surface, and a color image outputting device outputs a color image by treating each of the respective band-pass signals stored as image data in the image memory as different color data and combining the data. The plurality of band-pass signals includes a first band-pass signal having a first frequency range set to include only abrupt transitions in the sample surface and a second band-pass signal having a second frequency range set to include frequencies slightly outside the first frequency range so that abrupt transitions in geometry on the sample surface are represented by a first color in response to the first band-pass signal and areas directly adjacent the abrupt transitions on the sample surface are represented by a second color different from the first color.

Scanning probe microscope

A semiconductor manufacturing device comprises a holder having sealing members and supporting a semiconductor substrate so that an open space is formed above the semiconductor substrate and a sealed space is formed below the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate has a first main surface exposed to the open space and a second main surface exposed to the sealed space. When the holder is immersed in an etching solution, the first main surface of the semiconductor substrate is exposed to the etching solution and subjected to wet etching while the etching solution does not flow into the sealed space.

Semiconductor manufacturing device

An xy scanning unit produces a scanning signal along an x-direction and a scanning signal along a y-direction, which are determined by a contour of a sample to be monitored, scanning time of the x-direction, and a pixel number of the x-direction, supplied from a CPU. Then, the xy scanning unit outputs these scanning signals along the x-direction and the y-direction to a piezoelectric scanning apparatus. On the other hand, a second oscillator outputs a sine wave signal having a frequency determined by the scanning time of the x-direction and the pixel number of the x-direction to a second piezoelectric plate. A sample/hold circuit holds observation data of a probe at such timing after preselected time has passed since the output of the second oscillator becomes maximum, and then outputs the held observation data to a differential amplifier and a P.I control system. An output signal Q of the P.I control system is applied to a z-fine-moving electrode of the piezoelectric scanning apparatus, and also is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter. This digital signal is stored into a memory in a sampling manner.

Sampling scanning probe microscope and sampling method thereof

A spring is connected to an edge section of a sample side of a spindle receiving a force in the Z-axial direction by a first poise coil motor, and a probe is attached to the tip of the spring. The spindle is supported by an internal tube with a spring. The movement of the spindle is enlarged by the spring to be conveyed to the probe, whereby displacement of the probe is amplified. For this reason, a resonance frequency f0 of a system comprising the movable element of the first poise coil motor, spindle, spring, spring and probe can be increased. If the spring is changed to springs in two stages, a resonance frequency f0 of the system can be increased with comparatively compact configuration.

Probe scanning apparatus for probe microscope

An equalizer for use in a receiving system of a code transmission system has a plurality of series-connected delay elements, a plurality of coefficient units for weighting tap output signals extracted in parallel from the delay elements, an adder for adding output signals from the coefficient units, and a tap coefficient setting circuit for adjusting the weighting of the coefficient units. The tap coefficient setting circuit has a multiplier for multiplying a differential signal, the differential signal representing a difference between an output signal from the equalizer and a predetermined reference signal, and the tap output signals, a variation detecting circuit for being supplied with an output signal from the multiplier and detecting a variation of tap coefficients, and an accumulating circuit for outputting established tap coefficients based on an output signal from the variation detecting circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Akira Inoue