Tapping Mode (epo) Patents (Class 850/38)
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Patent number: 8763160Abstract: During a measurement in KFM mode of the surface potential of a material (P), a detection point (1) is arranged above a surface (S) of the material. Two piezoelectric actuators (2, 5) are used to monitor a mean distance of the detection point relative to the surface of the material and a mechanical oscillation of said point. During the measurement, a control voltage is applied between control electrodes (2a, 2b) of the piezoelectric actuator (2) which is dedicated to the mechanical oscillation of the detection point (1), said control voltage not having an alternative component to an angular frequency of electrical energization of said detection point. A result of the KFM measurement is therefore separate from operating parameters such as a projection angle used to perform closed-loop control and a value of the angular frequency of electrical energization. The invention thus provides absolute measurements of surface potentials.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 2011Date of Patent: June 24, 2014Assignees: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique—CNRS, Universite des Sciences et Technologies de LilleInventors: Thierry Melin, Didier Theron, Sophie Barbet, Dominique Deresmes, Heinrich Diesinger
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Patent number: 8646319Abstract: Dynamic IR radiation power control for use in a nanoscale IR spectroscopy system based on an Atomic Force Microscope. During illumination from an IR source, an AFM probe tip interaction with a sample due to local IR sample absorption is monitored. The power of the illumination at the sample is dynamically decreased to minimize sample overheating in locations/wavelengths where absorption is high and increased in locations/wavelengths where absorption is low to maintain signal to noise.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2010Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Anasys Instruments Corp.Inventors: Craig Prater, Kevin Kjoller
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Patent number: 8484757Abstract: A device for oscillation excitation of a leaf spring, which is fastened on one side in an atomic force microscope (AFM) and comprises semiconductor material, which has no piezoelectric properties, a free end to which a tip is attached, which is brought into contact with a sample surface to be examined. The present invention has the leaf spring connected at least sectionally to a metal layer to form a Schottky contact, and an electrical voltage or field source is provided, which generates an electrical AC voltage a vicinity or area of the Schottky contact.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2006Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.Inventors: Walter Arnold, Kerstin Meder, Ute Rabe
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Patent number: 8418538Abstract: An AFM based technique has been demonstrated for performing highly localized IR spectroscopy on a sample surface. Significant issues as to size, cost of implementation, and repeatability/robustness of results exist in commercializing the technique. The invention addresses many of these issues thereby producing a version of the analytical technique that can be made generally available to the scientific community.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2011Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignee: Anasys Instruments Inc.Inventors: A. Dazzi Dazzi, Clotilde Policar, Kevin Kjoller, Michael Reading, Konstantin Vodopyanov, Craig Prater
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Patent number: 8122761Abstract: A microcantilever sensor includes a supporting substrate, a cantilever spring element at least partially disposed over the support substrate, a probe layer disposed over the first side of the cantilever spring element, and a piezoresistive transducer attached to the second side of the cantilever spring element. The cantilever spring element is characterized by having a first side and a second side and comprising a polymer having a Young's modulus less than about 100 Gpa. Sensing systems that incorporate the cantilever sensor of the invention include a detector in communication with the piezoresistive transducer to provide measurements of surface strain changes in the piezoresistive transducer.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2006Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: Wayne State UniversityInventor: Yong Xu
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Patent number: 8087093Abstract: Provided is a mechanically-coupled tuning fork-scanning probe vibrating system, the system including: a tuning fork vibrating due to an AC voltage applied thereto; a scanning probe attached to a side of the tuning fork and vibrating due to the tuning fork; and a contact member contacting a side surface of the scanning probe and adjusting a position of a contact point at which the contact member contacts with the scanning probe, to vary a natural frequency of a combination body in which the tuning fork and the scanning probe are combined with each other.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2009Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Inha-Industry Partnership InstituteInventors: Seung Gol Lee, Kyoung-Duck Park, Dae-Chan Kim
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Patent number: 8082593Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to microscopy cantilevers. Consistent with an example embodiment, aspects of the invention are directed to a cantilever having a body and a force sensor arrangement extending from an end of the body and including a tip near a free end of the force sensor arrangement. The force sensor arrangement exhibits a high temporal response to the tip's interaction with a sample, relative to the response of the cantilever. The force sensor arrangement's response is detected and used to characterize the sample.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2009Date of Patent: December 20, 2011Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior UniversityInventors: Ali Fatih Sarioglu, Olav Solgaard
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Patent number: 7975315Abstract: There is provided an atomic force microscope (AFM) with increase the speed and sensitivity of detection of the resonant frequency shift in a cantilever. An AFM (1) extracts a reference signal and a phase shift signal from a detection signal from a displacement sensor of the cantilever. The reference signal is restrained from a phase change in accordance with the resonant frequency shift. The phase shift signal has a phase shifted in accordance with the resonant frequency shift. The AFM (1) determines the phase difference of the phase shift signal from the reference signal, as the resonant frequency shift. The AFM (1) may detect the phase difference between a plus-minus inversion point on the reference signal and a corresponding plus-minus inversion point on the phase shift signal. The AFM (1) may adjust phase before phase detection. The phase adjustment may move the detection point for the resonant frequency shift defined on the oscillation waveforms to the plus-minus inversion point.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2007Date of Patent: July 5, 2011Assignee: National University Corporation Kanazawa UniversityInventors: Toshio Ando, Takayuki Uchihashi, Noriyuki Kodera, Naohisa Takahashi
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Patent number: 7958564Abstract: A scanning measurement instrument is capable of simultaneously achieving both higher accuracy and higher speed in autonomous scanning measurement. The instrument includes a path information holding unit for holding information about the path of the center position of a tip of a scanning probe at past tip center positions with respect to the current tip center position during autonomous scanning measurement performed with the scanning probe; a path reference direction setting unit for setting an approximate straight line direction of the path as a path reference direction; a traveling direction setting unit for setting the path reference direction as a traveling direction; a movement control unit for controlling a moving unit such that the scanning probe is moved in the traveling direction; and a normal direction setting unit for setting the normal direction of a measurement surface according to the traveling direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2009Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Mitutoyo CorporationInventors: Takashi Noda, Hiroshi Kamitani, Naoya Kikuchi
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Patent number: 7958565Abstract: A driving laser unit (11) irradiates a laser beam on a cantilever (5) to cause thermal expansion deformation. A driving-laser control unit (13) performs feedback control for the cantilever (5) by controlling intensity of the laser beam on the basis of displacement of the cantilever (5) detected by a sensor (9). A thermal-response compensating circuit (35) has a constitution equivalent to an inverse transfer function of a heat transfer function of the cantilever (5) and compensates for a delay in a thermal response of the cantilever (5) to the light irradiation. Moreover, the cantilever (5) may be excited by controlling the intensity of the laser beam. By controlling light intensity, a Q value of a lever resonance system is also controlled. It is possible to increase scanning speed of an atomic force microscope.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2006Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: National University Corporation Kanazawa UniversityInventors: Toshio Ando, Takayuki Uchihashi, Noriyuki Kodera, Hayato Yamashita
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Patent number: 7954165Abstract: A scanning probe microscope is provided, which can be stably used for a long time even if excitation efficiency varies during scan. A cantilever (5) is excited, and the cantilever (5) and a sample are subjected to relative scanning. A second-harmonic component detection circuit (31) detects second-harmonic component amplitude of oscillation of the cantilever (5) as integral-multiple component amplitude. The second-harmonic component amplitude is amplitude of a second-harmonic component having a frequency twice as high as excitation frequency. An excitation intensity adjustment circuit (33) controls excitation intensity based on the detected second-harmonic component amplitude such that the second-harmonic component amplitude is kept constant.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2006Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: National University Corporation Kanazawa UniversityInventors: Toshio Ando, Mitsuru Sakashita, Takayuki Uchihashi
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Publication number: 20100132079Abstract: Methods and systems for improving high resolution imaging using a polarization-modulated tip enhanced optical microscope. A polarizer is configured to alternately create and remove a region of enhanced optical intensity adjacent the tip of the microscope probe at the focus of a light source. The sample being studied emits photons at specific rates relative to a background rate depending on the existence or nonexistence of the region of enhanced optical intensity. Comparing the rate of emissions when the region of enhanced optical intensity exists to when it does not creates a detailed image of the sample. By not requiring the probe to oscillate, this system enhances the resolution of the microscope without potentially causing damage to the sample.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 6, 2009Publication date: May 27, 2010Inventor: Jordan M. Gerton
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Patent number: 7617720Abstract: A surface position measuring method capable of measuring a position on a soft surface accurately and rapidly (real time), with low invasiveness. The method comprises the steps of measuring the spectrum of thermal oscillation of a cantilever with the distance between a cantilever tip and a sample surface being changed, extracting a fundamental mode component (spectrum area) from the obtained spectrum of thermal oscillation, and measuring a change in the spectrum area of thermal oscillation (spectrum area) with respect to the distance. A position at which the area of the cantilever thermal oscillation spectrum begins to change is evaluated as a position on the sample surface.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2005Date of Patent: November 17, 2009Assignee: National University Corporation Hokkaido UniversityInventors: Takaharu Okajima, Masaru Tanaka, Hiroshi Tokumoto