Sii Nanotechnology Inc.

Hiroumi Momota

Kazutoshi Watanabe

Masatsugu Shigeno

Masafumi Watanabe

Kazunori Ando

Masayuki Iwasa

In a local softening point measuring apparatus and thermal conductivity measuring apparatus using a probe microscope as a base, environment of the proband a sample surface is set to 1/100 atmospheric pressure (103 Pa) or lower. Otherwise, a side surface of the probe is coated with a thermal insulation material having a thickness that enables thermal dissipation to be reduced to 1/100 or lower, to thereby reduce the thermal dissipation from the side surface of the probe, and exchange heat substantially only at the contacting portion between the probe and the sample surface.

Softening point measuring apparatus and thermal conductivity measuring apparatus

In a cantilever which is used in a scanning probe microscope or the like and has a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape formed through anisotropic etching in a silicon process, a cantilever spring constant is determined without measuring a thickness directly. A cantilever thickness is determined based on upper base and lower base lengths of the trapezoidal cross-sectional shape and geometric regularity of a surface generated by the anisotropic etching. Then, the cantilever spring constant is determined based on the cantilever thickness, a cantilever length, and a Young's modulus.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Hiroumi Momota