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:
Oct. 14, 2003
Filed:
May. 15, 2001
Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, KR;
Abstract
A device and method for etching a wire to manufacture it into a tip for a scanning probe microscope or the like. The wire etching device generates a voltage signal for determining the level of a wire etching voltage, and applies the etching voltage of the level determined depending on the generated voltage signal to the wire to primarily etch it. The wire etching device measures the amount of etching current generated during the primary etching process and controls the level of the voltage signal according to the measured etching current amount so as to control the level of the etching voltage. Then, the device secondarily etches the wire with the level-controlled voltage signal. Therefore, the wire etching device can manufacture the tip while controlling its curvature radius and aspect ratio and reducing the amount of oxide on its surface. This has the effect of manufacturing the tip precisely according to a scanning purpose of an atomic force microscope or scanning tunneling microscope and a feature of a sample to be measured.