[54] SCANNING TYPE NEAR FIELD
INTERATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE
[75] Inventors: Hiroshi Muramatsu; Takeshi Umemoto, both of Chiba, Japan
[73] Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc., Japan
[21] Appl. No.: 08/764,214
[22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1996
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Feb. 20, 1996 [JP] Japan 8-032396
[51] Int. CI.6 G01B 7/34; G02B 21/00
[52] U.S. C I 73/105
[58] Field of Search 73/105; 250/306
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,254,854 10/1993 Betzig 250/306 X
5,304,795 4/1994 Fujihira et al 250/306 X
5,354,985 10/1994 Quate 250/234
5,389,779 2/1995 Betzig et al 250/306 X
5,513,168 4/1996 Fujihira et al 250/306 X
5,548,113 8/1996 Goldberg et al 250/306 X
5,627,365 5/1997 Chiba et al 73/105 X
5,641,896 6/1997 Karrai 73/105
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
290647A1 11/1988 European Pat. Off. .
388023A2 9/1990 European Pat. Off. .
622652 11/1994 European Pat. Off 73/105
701102A1 3/1996 European Pat. Off. .
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Betzig et al., "Combined Shear Force and Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy", Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 60, No. 20, May 18, 1992, pp. 2484-2486.
van Hulst et al., "Operation of a Scanning Near Field Optical Microscope in Reflection in Combination with a Scanning Force Microscope", SPIE vol. 1639 Scanning Probe Microscopies, 1992, pp. 36^-2.
Muramatsu et al., "Near-Field Optical Microscopy in Liquids", Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 66, No. 24, Jun. 12, 1995, pp. 3245-3247.
Shalom et al., "A Micropipette Force Probe Suitable for Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy", Review of Scientific Instruments, vol. 63, No. 09, Sep. 1992, pp. 4061^1065.
Toledo-Crow et al., "Near-Field Differential Scanning Optical Microscope with Atomic Force Regulation", Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 60, No. 24, Jun. 15, 1992, pp. 2957-2959.
Applied Physics Letters, vol. 66, No. 14, Apr. 3, 1995, pp. 1842-1844, Khaled Karrai et al., "Piezoelectric Tip-Sample Distance Control for Near Field Optical Microscope".
Primary Examiner—Daniel S. Larkin
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Adams & Wilks
[57] ABSTRACT
A scanning type near field interatomic force microscope of the type having a hook-shaped probe formed of a light transmitting material and having a sharpened tip portion with a transmitting hole for transmitting light, the probe being disposed over and moved relative to a sample surface for simultaneously measuring the shape of the surface of the sample and the optical characteristics of a minute region of the surface of the sample by scanning over the surface of the sample under a state in which the distance between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample is within an operation distance in which an interatomic force acts between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample. A quartz oscillator is attached to a shaft portion of the probe and has electrodes. A detection circuit detects a change in the resonance characteristics of the oscillator caused by the interatomic force acting between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample. An XYZ scanner is used for maintaining a constant distance between the tip portion of the probe and the surface of the sample on the basis of a detection signal outputted from the detection circuit.
22 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets
