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. 31, 2006
Filed:
Dec. 12, 2001
Peter Spizig, Niederstotzingen, DE;
Detlef Sanchen, Neu-Ulm, DE;
Jörg Förstner, Ulm, DE;
Joachim Koenen, Ulm, DE;
Othmar Marti, Ulm, DE;
Peter Spizig, Niederstotzingen, DE;
Detlef Sanchen, Neu-Ulm, DE;
Jörg Förstner, Ulm, DE;
Joachim Koenen, Ulm, DE;
Othmar Marti, Ulm, DE;
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for creating the image of a sample surface to be analyzed, with a resolution which is better than 1 μm laterally in relation to the sample surface and better than 100 nm vertically in relation to said surface. According to the invention, the surface is scanned on a point-by-point basis by a scanning probe, the distance between the scanning probe and the sample surface at each scanning point being periodically modulated, in such a way that a force-time curve of the probe is produced for this point. The force-time curve is recorded at each scanning point, digitized using an A/D converter, evaluated online in real-time and stored, together with the entire data stream, in a first area of a memory device. One or several characteristic variables of the force-time curves are determined for each scanning point from the real-time evaluation results and the stored digitized force-time curves and an image of the sample surface is obtained from said characteristic variables of the scanning points.