System and method of performing scanning probe microscopy on a substrate surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10067158-B2
Application number	US-201515322969-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2015
Priority date	Jul 4, 2014
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

The invention is directed at a method of performing scanning probe microscopy on a substrate surface using a scanning probe microscopy system, the system including at least one probe head, the probe head comprising a probe tip arranged on a cantilever and a tip position detector for determining a position of the probe tip along a z-direction transverse to an image plane, the method comprising: positioning the at least one probe head relative to the substrate surface; moving the probe tip and the substrate surface relative to each other in one or more directions parallel to the image plane for scanning of the substrate surface with the probe tip; and determining the position of the probe tip with the tip position detector during said scanning for mapping nanostructures on the substrate surface; wherein said step of positioning is performed by placing the at least one probe head on a static carrier surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Method of performing scanning probe microscopy on a substrate surface using a scanning probe microscopy system, the system including at least one probe head, the probe head comprising a probe tip arranged on a cantilever and a tip position detector for determining a position of the probe tip along a z-direction transverse to an image plane, the method comprising:
positioning the at least one probe head relative to the substrate surface;
moving the probe tip and the substrate surface relative to each other in one or more directions parallel to the image plane for scanning of the substrate surface with the probe tip; and
determining the position of the probe tip with the tip position detector during said scanning for mapping nanostructures on the substrate surface;
wherein said step of positioning is performed by placing the at least one probe head on a static carrier surface;
wherein placing of the at least one probe head is performed by a positioning structure;
wherein the or each probe head comprises a carrier cooperating with the positioning structure, said carrier or carriers comprising an upper part and a base which are connected to each other such as to be arranged remote from each other, wherein the positioning structure comprises a support surface arranged between the base and the upper part, the upper part comprising three engagement elements extending towards the support surface, wherein the base comprises three landing elements for supporting the at least one probe head on the static carrier surface, each landing element being associated with a respective one of the three engagement elements; and
wherein prior to placement the three engagement elements rest on a plurality of sockets forming a kinematic mount on the support surface, wherein during placement of the or each probe head the landing elements are consecutively placed onto the static carrier surface such that each one of the engagement elements is released from the kinematic mount upon touch down of its associated landing element.

2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of positioning includes moving the probe head relative to the substrate surface in a direction parallel to the image plane towards a landing position using a positioning structure, wherein upon said placing of the probe head on the static carrier surface, said probe head is released from said positioning structure.

3. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the static carrier surface is at least one of a group comprising: a surface of a metrology frame, a surface that is statically connected to a metrology frame, and/or a two-dimensional optical encoder surface.

4. Method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of moving the probe tip and the substrate surface relative to each other is performed by moving of the substrate surface in a direction parallel with the image plane while maintaining the at least one probe head on the static carrier surface.

5. Method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of moving the probe tip and the substrate surface relative to each other is performed by the probe head comprising an actuator for moving the cantilever relative to the probe head in a direction parallel to the image plane for performing the scanning of the substrate surface.

6. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of positioning the at least one probe head includes placing each of a plurality of probe heads on a respective landing position on the static carrier surface.

7. Method according to claim 1 , wherein for placement of the at least one probe head onto the static carrier surface the at least one probe head comprises one or more landing elements, and wherein the landing elements comprise at least one of a group comprising: bare landing feet, suction force clamps, magnetic clamps, or electrostatic clamps.

8. Scanning probe microscopy system for performing microscopy on a substrate surface, the system including at least one probe head, the probe head comprising a probe tip arranged on a cantilever and a tip position detector for determining a position of the probe tip along a z-direction transverse to an image plane,
wherein the system comprises a positioning structure for positioning the at least one probe head relative to the substrate surface, wherein the system is further arranged for moving the probe tip and the substrate surface relative to each other in one or more directions parallel to the image plane for scanning of the substrate surface with the probe tip, and the system comprising a controller for receiving a signal provided by the tip position detector for determining the position of the probe tip with the tip position detector during said scanning for mapping nanostructures on the substrate surface,
wherein for positioning of the at least one probe head, the positioning structure is arranged for placing the at least one probe head on a static carrier surface,
wherein the or each probe head comprises a carrier cooperating with the positioning structure, said the or each carrier comprising an upper part and a base which are connected to each other such as to be arranged remote from each other, wherein the positioning structure comprises a support surface arranged between the base and the upper part, the upper part comprising three engagement elements extending towards the support surface, wherein the base comprises three landing elements for supporting the at least one probe head on the static carrier surface, each landing element being associated with a respective one of the three engagement elements, and
wherein the three engagement elements cooperate with a plurality of sockets forming a kinematic mount on the support surface such as to be engaged with the kinematic mount prior to placement of the or each probe head, wherein the positioning structure is arranged hold the or each carrier in an angled orientation relative to the static carrier surface during placement such that the landing elements are enabled to be consecutively placed onto the static carrier surface such that each one of the engagement elements is released from the kinematic mount upon touch down of its associated landing element.

9. Scanning probe microscopy system in accordance with claim 8 , further comprising an actuator for operating the positioning structure for moving the at least one probe head relative to the substrate surface in a direction parallel to the image plane towards a landing position.

10. Scanning probe microscopy system according to claim 8 , wherein the positioning structure is arranged for cooperating with the at least one probe head such as to release the probe head from the positioning structure upon said placing of the probe head on the static carrier surface.

11. Scanning probe microscopy system according to claim 8 , wherein the static carrier surface is at least one of a group comprising: a surface of a metrology frame of the system, a surface that is statically connected to a metrology frame of the system, and/or a two-dimensional optical encoder surface.

12. Scanning probe microscopy system according to claim 8 , further comprising an actuated substrate holder arranged for holding the substrate surface and for moving of the substrate surface in a direction parallel with the image plane for performing said scanning of the substrate surface with the probe tip.

13. Scanning probe microscopy system according to claim 8 , wherein the static carrier surface is an optical reference grid.

Assignees

• TNO

Inventors

• Sadeghian Marnani Hamed
• Winters Jasper
• Crowcombe William Edward
• Van Den Dool Teunis Cornelis
• Kramer Geerten Frans Ijsbrand

Classifications

• G01Q70/06

  Probe tip arrays · CPC title

• B82Y35/00

  Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures · CPC title

• G01Q10/04 Primary

  Fine scanning or positioning · CPC title

• G01Q70/02

  Probe holders · CPC title

• G01Q10/06 Primary

  Circuits or algorithms therefor · CPC title