The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 17, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 29, 1996
Harry Jonathon Mamin, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Robert Paul Ried, San Jose, CA (US);
Daniel Rugar, Los Altos, CA (US);
Bruce David Terris, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
An atomic force microscope system incorporates a single-crystal silicon cantilever with an integral tip. The cantilever is supported in the AFM system so that it makes an acute angle with the surface of the sample to be scanned. The tip is formed by the convergence of three planes, one of which is one of the two generally parallel planes which define the thickness of the cantilever. The tip lies between the cantilever's two thickness-defining planar surfaces and is thus an in-plane integral tip. The AFM system may have the cantilever surface that converges to the tip oriented to either face the sample or face away from the sample.