Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Motoyuki Hirooka

Makoto Okai

Masahiro Watanabe

Toshihiko Nakata

Takashi Inoue

Kishio Hidaka

Yasuo Wada

Toshiaki Morita

Takashi Kyotani

Hironori Orikasa

In a near-field scanning microscope using an aperture probe, the upper limit of the aperture formation is at most several ten nm in practice. In a near-field scanning microscope using a scatter probe, the resolution ability is limited to at most several ten nm because of the external illuminating light serving as background noise. Moreover, measurement reproducibility is seriously lowered by a damage or abrasion of a probe. Optical data and unevenness data of the surface of a sample can be measured at a nm-order resolution ability and a high reproducibility while damaging neither the probe nor the sample by fabricating a plasmon-enhanced near-field probe having a nm-order optical resolution ability by combining a nm-order cylindrical structure with nm-order microparticles and repeatedly moving the probe toward the sample and away therefrom at a low contact force at individual measurement points on the sample.

Scanning probe microscope and sample observing method using the same

Optical information and topographic information of the surface of a sample are measured at a nanometer-order resolution and with high reproducibility without damaging a probe and the sample by combining a nanometer-order cylindrical structure with a nanometer-order microstructure to form a plasmon intensifying near-field probe having a nanometer-order optical resolution and by repeating approach/retreat of the probe to/from each measurement point on the sample at a low contact force.

Scanning probe microscope and method of observing sample using the same

A graphene-on-oxide substrate according to the present invention includes: a substrate having a metal oxide layer formed on its surface; and, formed on the metal oxide layer, a graphene layer including at least one atomic layer of the graphene. The graphene layer is grown generally parallel to the surface of the metal oxide layer, and the inter-atomic-layer distance between the graphene atomic layer adjacent to the surface of the metal oxide layer and the surface atomic layer of the metal oxide layer is 0.34 nm or less. Preferably, the arithmetic mean surface roughness Ra of the metal oxide layer is 1 nm or less.

Graphene grown substrate and electronic/photonic integrated circuits using same

A circuit board having a graphene circuit according to the present invention includes: a base substrate; a patterned aluminum oxide film formed on the base substrate, the patterned aluminum oxide film having an average composition of AlO(where x is 0 or more), the patterned aluminum oxide film having a recessed region whose surface has one or more cone-shaped recesses therein; a graphene film preferentially grown only on the patterned aluminum oxide film, the graphene film having one or more graphene atomic layers, the graphene film having a contact region that covers the recessed region, the graphene film growing parallel to a flat surface of the recessed region and parallel to an inner wall surface of each cone-shaped recess of the recessed region; and a patterned metal film, a part of the patterned metal film covering and having electrical contact with the contact region, the patterned metal film filling each recess covered by the graphene film.

Circuit board including a graphene film having contact region covering a recessed region and a patterned metal film covering the contact region and in direct electrical contact therewith, and device including same

The stress due to contact between a probe and a measurement sample is improved when using a microcontact prober having a conductive nanotube, nanowire, or nanopillar probe, the insulating layer at the contact interface is removed, thereby the contact resistance is reduced, and the performance of semiconductor device examination is improved. The microcontact prober comprises a cantilever probe in which each cantilever is provided with a nanowire, nanopillar, or a metal-coated carbon nanotube probe projecting by 50 to 100 nm from a holder provided at the fore end and a vibrating mechanism for vibrating the cantilever horizontally with respect to the subject. The fore end of the holder may project from the free end of the cantilever, and the fore end of the holder can be checked from above the cantilever.

Micro contact prober

A substrate having a graphene film grown thereon according to the present invention includes: a base substrate; a patterned aluminum oxide film formed on the base substrate, the patterned aluminum oxide film having an average composition of AlO(where x is 0 or more); and a graphene film preferentially grown only on the patterned aluminum oxide film, the graphene film having one or more graphene atomic layers, the graphene film growing parallel to a surface of the patterned aluminum oxide film, the graphene film having an electrical conductivity of 1&#xd7;10S/cm or more measured by a four-probe resistive method using an inter-voltage-probe distance of 0.2 mm.

In a scanning probe microscope, a nanotube and metal nano-particles are combined together to configure a plasmon-enhanced near-field probe having an optical resolution on the order of nanometers as a measuring probe in which a metal structure is embedded, and this plasmon-enhanced near-field probe is installed in a highly-efficient plasmon exciting unit to repeat approaching to and retracting from each measuring point on a sample with a low contact force, so that optical information and profile information of the surface of the sample are measured with a resolution on the order of nanometers, a high S/N ratio, and high reproducibility without damaging both of the probe and the sample.

An device according to the present invention comprises: graphene; and a metal electrode, the metal electrode and the graphene being electrically connected, the following relationship of Eq. (1) being satisfied: where r(in units of &#x3a9;/&#x3bc;m) denotes the electrical resistance of a graphene layer per unit area, r(in units of &#x3a9;&#x3bc;m) denotes the contact resistance per unit area between the graphene layer and a metal electrode, and S denotes the contact area (in units of &#x3bc;m) between the graphene layer and the metal electrode.

Electrically connected graphene-metal electrode device, and electronic device, electronic integrated circuit and electro-optical integrated circuit using same

The transparent conductive film according to the present invention comprises graphene platelets which overlap one another to form a multilayer structure. The average size of the graphene platelets is 50 nm or more and the number of layers of the graphene platelets is 9 or less. The transparent conductive film has an electrical resistivity of 1.0&#xd7;10(&#x3a9;m) or less and a light transmission at a wavelength of 550 nm of 80% or more.

Growing community of inventors

Kumagaya, Japan

Motoyuki Hirooka