Infineon Technologies Ag

Qimonda Ag

Harald Bloess

Uwe Wellhausen

Ulrich Mantz

Peter Weidner

Pierre-Yves Guittet

Andreas Heidelberg

Peter Reinig

Jens-Hendrik Zollondz

The present invention provides a scanning probe microscope cantilever comprising a support portion, a lever portion extended from the support portion, and a needle projecting out of a first surface of the cantilever in the vicinity of a free end of the lever portion. From a second surface of the cantilever opposite the first surface, a bore extends through the needle to an aperture formed at a tip of the needle. To the tip of the needle, a substantially globular particle is attached. A method of scanning a sample surface comprises creating relative cantilever motion substantially toward the sample such that the particle experiences a contact force with the sample, illuminating a top surface of the cantilever with laser light such that a portion of the laser light passes through the hollow needle and is emitted from the aperture onto the particle, and detecting scattered light from the sample.

Scanning probe microscopy cantilever, corresponding manufacturing method, scanning probe microscope, and scanning method

In order to measure a surface profile of a sample, an imprint of the surface profile to be examined is produced in a transfer material. The sample contains processed semiconductor material and is in particular a patterned semiconductor wafer or part of a patterned semiconductor wafer. The transfer material is deformable and curable under suitable ambient conditions. The transfer material may be a thermoplastic material or a material which is deformable as desired after application on a substrate and cures in one case by means of irradiation with photons having a suitable wavelength or alternatively heating. The transfer material may be configured in such a way that the imprint produced is the same size as or alternatively of smaller size than the surface profile. The imprint produced is subsequently measured by known methods.

Method and apparatus for measuring a surface profile of a sample

The present invention provides a method for the characterization of a depth structure in a substrate at a surface of the substrate, in which a cutout is produced at the surface of the substrate between an imaging device and the depth structure, the cutout being spaced apart from the depth structure. A layer of the substrate, which incipiently cuts the depth structure and the cutout, is removed by means of an ion beam in order to obtain a cut area, the layer and the normal to the area of the surface of the substrate assuming an acute angle that is greater than zero. The cut area is imaged by means of the imaging device in order to characterize the depth structure.

Method and apparatus for the characterization of a depth structure in a substrate

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Radebeul, Germany

Harald Bloess