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:
Nov. 01, 2005
Filed:
Jun. 08, 2001
Satoshi Tomimatsu, Kokubunji, JP;
Hidemi Koike, Hitachinaka, JP;
Junzo Azuma, Hitachiota, JP;
Tohru Ishitani, Hitachinaka, JP;
Aritoshi Sugimoto, Tokyo, JP;
Yuichi Hamamura, Tokyo, JP;
Isamu Sekihara, Fusa, JP;
Akira Shimase, Yokosuka, JP;
Satoshi Tomimatsu, Kokubunji, JP;
Hidemi Koike, Hitachinaka, JP;
Junzo Azuma, Hitachiota, JP;
Tohru Ishitani, Hitachinaka, JP;
Aritoshi Sugimoto, Tokyo, JP;
Yuichi Hamamura, Tokyo, JP;
Isamu Sekihara, Fusa, JP;
Akira Shimase, Yokosuka, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., Ltd., Kodaira, JP;
Abstract
A probe driving method and a probe apparatus for bringing a probe into contact with the surface of a sample in a safe and efficient manner by monitoring the probe height. Information about the height of the probe from the sample surface is obtained by detecting a probe shadow appearing immediately before the probe contacts the sample, or based on a change in relative positions of a probe image and a sample image that are formed as an ion beam is irradiated diagonally.