Band excitation method applicable to scanning probe microscopy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9535087-B2
Application number	US-201514752387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Sep 1, 2006
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

Scanning probe microscopy may include a method for generating a band excitation (BE) signal and simultaneously exciting a probe at a plurality of frequencies within a predetermined frequency band based on the excitation signal. A response of the probe is measured across a subset of frequencies of the predetermined frequency band and the excitation signal is adjusted based on the measured response.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
generating a band excitation signal;
simultaneously exciting a probe at a plurality of frequencies within a predetermined frequency band based on the band excitation signal;
scanning a sample held in an apparatus to measure a response of the probe across a subset of frequencies of the predetermined frequency band;
separately extracting, by a processor of a relevant dynamic parameter extractor, resonant frequency, maximum amplitude, and Q factor parameters associated with each position crossed during the scan; and
adjusting the band excitation signal based on the extracting.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a mathematical transform on the measured response of the probe and outputting an amplitude-frequency data and phase-frequency data at each scanned position of the sample.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the mathematical transform is selected from the group consisting of an integral transform and a discrete transform.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the relevant dynamic parameter extractor extracts the resonant frequency, the maximum amplitude, and the Q factor parameters for each position of the sample based on an analysis of the amplitude frequency data and the phase-frequency data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relevant dynamic parameter extractor extracts the resonant frequency, the maximum amplitude, and the Q factor parameters independently for each position.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subset of frequencies of the predetermined frequency band includes a selected frequency and associated resonance frequencies.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subset of frequencies is substantially the same as the predetermined frequency band.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the band excitation signal includes a controlled amplitude and phase density within the predetermined frequency band.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting the band excitation signal is based on the extracted resonant frequency, maximum amplitude, and Q factor parameters.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Jesse Stephen
• Kalinin Sergei V

Classifications

• G01Q60/32

  AC mode · CPC title

• B82Y35/00

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

• G01Q10/06 Primary

  Circuits or algorithms therefor · CPC title

• G01Q20/00 Primary

  Monitoring the movement or position of the probe · CPC title

• G01Q30/04

  Display or data processing devices · CPC title