Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Kenki Fine Tech Co., Ltd.

Ken Murayama

Takafumi Morimoto

Hiroshi Kuroda

Kozo Ono

Kojiro Ogata

Kiyoshi Nagasawa

Yoshihiro Hoshino

Takenori Hiroki

Yukio Kenbou

Tooru Kurenuma

Harumasa Onozato

Yuuichi Kunitomo

Shigeru Miwa

Takashi Shirai

Hiroaki Yanagimoto

Yoshiyuki Nagano

Sumio Hosaka

Tadashi Fujieda

Kishio Hidaka

Mitsuo Hayashibara

Tooru Shinaki

Tsuyoshi Nishigaki

Yoshiyuki Nag'No

Yasushi Minomoto

A probe is made by attaching a carbon nanotubeto a mounting base end, which eliminates the effects of a carbon contamination film, to increase the bonding strength, increase the conductivity of the probe, and strengthen the bonding performance thereof by coating the entire circumference of the nanotube and the base with a coating film, rather than coating just one side. The work of mounting the carbon nanotube and mounting base end are performed under observation by a microscope. Further, the carbon contamination filmformed by an electron microscope is stripped off at a stage before bonding by the coating film.

Probe manufacturing method, probe, and scanning probe microscope

The probe tip movement control method of the scanning probe microscope is used for a scanning probe microscope provided with a cantileverhaving a probe tipfacing a sample. The atomic force occurring between the probe tip and sample is measured when the probe tip scans the surface of the sample. X-, Y-, and Z-fine movement mechanisms, andare used to relatively change the positions of the probe tip and sample. It is possible to maintain a high measurement accuracy and enable scan movement of a probe tip on a sample surface by simple control when measuring a part having a gradient in measurement of an uneven shape on a sample surface.

Scanning type probe microscope and probe moving control method therefor

A scanning probe microscope has a cantilever with a probe facing a sample and a measurement section for measuring a physical quantity occurring between the probe and the sample when the probe scans a surface of the sample, holding the physical quantity constant to measure the surface of the sample. The above microscope further has a probe tilt mechanism, an optical microscope etc. for detecting a position of the probe when the probe is tilted, and a control section for setting the probe in a first tilt posture and second tilt posture, measuring a surface of the sample by the measurement section at each tilt posture, detecting the position of the probe at least at the second tilt posture by the optical microscope etc., and making a measurement location at the second tilt posture match with a measurement location at the first tilt posture for measurement.

Scanning probe microscope and measurement method using the same

This scanning probe microscope is provided with a cantilever with a probe tip facing a sample, a Z fine movement section for changing a distance between the sample and the probe tip, a XY scanning control section for providing relative displacement toward a sample surface between the sample and the probe tip, a displacement detecting means for detecting displacement arising in the cantilever, and a Z direction control section. In the configuration, when generating deformation in the cantilever due to a physical amount between the probe tip and the sample, the displacement detecting means detects the displacement of the cantilever, and the displacement of the cantilever is controlled to be a predetermined constant value. The scanning probe microscope further has a two frequency signals generating section for providing signals used to cause the probe tip to be moved in height direction by two frequencies to the Z fine movement section. According to this configuration, in the scanning probe microscope, the probe tip does not receive the force of lateral direction when scanning the sample surface, the high-speed measurement is possible and the wear of the probe tip is reduced.

Scanning probe microscope

A scanning probe microscope is provided with a probe tip directed to a sample surface, an XYZ fine movement mechanism for providing a relative positional change between the sample and the probe tip, and a displacement detecting section for detecting the displacement of the probe tip. The scanning probe microscope measures the surface characteristic of the sample by using a control signal. This control signal is generated on a signal outputted from the displacement detecting section and is used for keeping a state of a mutual action generated between the sample and the probe tip identical to a predetermined state, while the probe tip scans the surface of the sample based on the operation of the XYZ fine movement mechanism. Further, it comprises a moving section arranged on a standard surface of a microscope stage, which has the sample on an upper surface and moves along the standard surface based on a static pressure guide, a height-position control section for selectively supplying high-pressure fluid to the moving section so as to carry out the static pressure guide and controlling the height-position of the moving section to the standard surface, and an actuating mechanism for moving the moving section in directions parallel to the standard surface.

A fine movement mechanism unit is configured by a supporting member, two fixed sections fixed to this supporting member, two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections disposed between the two fixed sections, an X fine movement mechanism, a Y fine movement mechanism, and a Z fine movement mechanism. The X fine movement mechanism has an X moving section movable in an X direction, connected to each of the two fixed sections through the two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections, and two X direction piezoelectric actuators causing the X moving section to move. The Y fine movement mechanism arranged to the X moving section, has other two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections, a Y moving section movable in the Y direction, connected to the X moving section through the other two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections, and two Y direction piezoelectric actuators causing the Y moving section to move relatively to the X moving section. The Z fine movement mechanism arranged to the Y moving section, has a Z moving section movable in a Z direction perpendicular to both of the X and Y directions, and a Z direction piezoelectric actuator causing the Z moving section to move.

Fine movement mechanism unit and scanning probe microscope

A stage unit used for moving a sample comprises a vertical stage for moving a sample stand in a vertical direction, a horizontal stage for moving the vertical stage in a horizontal direction. In the stage unit, the horizontal stage is fixed on a horizontal slide surface of a surface table and the vertical stage is slidably arranged on the slide surface. The vertical stage is coupled with the horizontal stage by means of plate springs having strong rigidity in the horizontal direction and weak rigidity in the vertical direction. The whole rigidity of the stage unit is determined only by the vertical stage and is not subject to the effect of the rigidity of the sections included in the horizontal stage and the rigidity of a driving section as to each axis direction. The rigidity of the stage unit can be increased. The standstill rigidity of the stage unit is determined only by the rigidity of the vertical stage. All stages of the stage unit are not piled up. Therefore the height of stage unit can be decreased as low as possible.

Scanning probe microscope with the stage unit

This scanning probe microscope can accurately obtain information on surfaces of a sample when measuring the sample in a broad range from a slow scanning speed to a fast scanning speed. The scanning probe microscope comprises a cantilever (16) with a probe (15) at its tip, an optical lever mechanism (17,18) for measuring displacement of the cantilever (16), a mechanism for approaching/separating the cantilever against the sample, XY scanning circuit (21), and further comprises a Z axis piezoelectric element (14b) of a tripod for changing the distance between the cantilever and the sample, a control circuit (20) for controlling the distance between the cantilever and the sample to cause a displacement signal s1 obtained from the optical lever mechanism to be identical to a set value s0, and an adder (24) for adding a control signal from the control circuit and a signal based on the deviation between the displacement signal and the set value. The information on the sample surface is obtained from a signal outputted from the adder.

Scanning probe microscope and processing apparatus

A controller for a fine positioning device constructed of planar structural units connected symmetrically and equipped individually with planar flexible beams arranged in an opposing relation between two rigid members and actuators for applying forces between the two rigid members includes displacement detection devices, displacement setting devices, sensor devices for determining the degree of each translational displacement and the degree of each angular displacement, and control devices for controlling the voltages to be applied to the respective actuators.

Displacement controller for fine positioning device

A fine positioning device is formed of a rigid support member; a first set of radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms provided symmetrically to each other on the support member to produce angular displacements about a first axis; a second set of radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms provided symmetrically to each other on the support member to produce angular displacements about a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis; a third set of radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms connected to either one of the sets of radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms to produce angular diaplacements about a third axis which is perpendicular to both the first and second axes; and a fine motion table fixed on the radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms which are other than those connected to the radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms for producing angular displacements about the third axis.

Fine positioning device and displacement controller therefor

A fine positioning device is formed of a central rigid portion, a first set of outwardly-extending portions extending symmetrically along a first axis from the central rigid portion, a second set of outwardly-extending portions extending symmetrically from the central rigid portion along a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis, a first set of parallel flexible-beam displacement mechanisms provided symmetrically to each other with the first set of outwardly-extending portions respectively to produce translational displacements along the second axis, and a second set of parallel flexible-beam displacement mechanisms provided symmetrically to each other with the second set of outwardly-extending portions respectively to produce translational displacements along the first axis. A displacement controller for the fine positioning device is also disclosed.

A fine positioning device is formed of a central rigid portion, a first set of outwardly-extending portions extending symmetrically along a first axis from the central rigid portion, a second set of outwardly-extending portions extending symmetrically from the central rigid portion along a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis, a first set of parallel flexible-beam displacement mechanisms provided symmetrically to each other with the first set of outwardly-extending portions respectively to produce translational displacements along the second axis, and a second set of parallel flexible-beam displacement mechanisms provided symmetrically to each other with the second set of outwardly-extending portions respectively to produce translational displacements along the first axis. Three set of radial flexible-beam displacement mechanisms are provided to produce angular displacements about three axes.

Growing community of inventors

Tsuchiura, Japan

Ken Murayama