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:
May. 11, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 02, 1997
Dong Chen, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Edwin Flecha, Boca Raton, FL (US);
James Michael Hammond, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Kenneth Gilbert Roessler, Boca Raton, FL (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A scanning probe microscope includes a segmented piezoelectric actuator having a course segment and a fine segment, the outputs of which are combined to determine the movement of a distal end of the actuator, to which the probe is mechanically coupled. Movement of the probe tip, or a change in the level of its engagement with a sample surface is sensed by a detector, which generates a feedback signal. A correction signal, which is used to determine how the actuator should be moved to maintain a constant level of such engagement, is generated in a comparison circuit, which compares the feedback signal with a control signal. The correction signal is used to drive the fine segment of the actuator, while an integral of the correction signal is used to drive the coarse segment.