Sii Nanotechnology Inc.

Seiko Instruments Inc

Kazunori Ando

Kazutoshi Watanabe

Takehiro Yamaoka

Masatsugu Shigeno

Yoshiharu Shirakawabe

Yoshiteru Shikakura

Masafumi Watanabe

Amiko Nihei

Hiroumi Momota

Masaki Tsuchihashi

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

A scanning probe microscope is capable of radiating light on a sample without moving the sample from the scanning probe microscope and is capable of measuring the sample while controlling the conditions under which the sample is placed without changing the location of the sample. The scanning probe microscope includes a cantilever having a probe at a distal end thereof, a sample moving device for moving the sample, and a detection unit for detecting deflection of the cantilever using a laser beam. The detection unit is detachably mounted to the scanning probe microscope during measurement of the sample and is detachable from the microscope to enable radiation of the sample with light without changing the location of the sample.

Scanning probe microscope and measuring method by means of the same

A scanning probe microscopy system has a cantilever having a probe at a distal end thereof and a heating unit for heating the sample. A moving unit effects relative movement between the cantilever probe and the sample to bring the cantilever probe into contact with a surface of the sample for measuring a property of the sample. A shielding unit shields between the cantilever probe and the sample during heating of the sample by the heating unit.

Scanning probe microscopy system and method of measurement by the same

A scanning probe is microscope has a cantilever having a probe at a disal end thereof and an oscillator for generating a resonance signal near a resonance of the cantilever. A vibrating device receives the resonance signal as a driving signal for vibrating the cantilever. A variable gain amplifier adjusts a gain of displacement signal corresponding to displacement of the vibrating cantilever so as to satisfy the equation G=(A/A)*Gto control a quality factor value of the cantilever resonance to an optimal quality factor value, where G represents a gain value of the variable gain amplifer, A represents a preselected oscillation amplitude of the oscillator, Arepresents an initial oscillation amplitude of the oscillator, and Grepresents a gain value of the variable gain amplifier when the initial oscillation amplitude of the oscillator is A.

Scanning probe microscope and operation method

In the first operation, the cantilever is oscillated at a frequency which is at opposite sides of a frequency band having a half value of an oscillation frequency f and amplitude A on a dependent curve (Q-curve). The cantilever oscillating frequency is far from an oscillation frequency (near a resonance point) where the cantilever is slow to damp, which enables the cantilever to quickly damp in accordance with a variation of a transient oscillation frequency after the probe comes into contact with the specimen, and allows the probe to follow the uneven surface state of the specimen.

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Chiba, Japan

Kazunori Ando