CN115078771A

CN115078771A - Control method, processing method and device for probe measurement

Info

Publication number: CN115078771A
Application number: CN202110265460.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周向前; 马欢; 朗格诺; 杜川
Original assignee: Baiji Nanotechnology Shanghai Co ltd
Current assignee: Baiji Nanotechnology Shanghai Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-11
Filing date: 2021-03-11
Publication date: 2022-09-20

Abstract

The invention provides a control method, a processing method and a device for probe measurement, wherein the control method for probe measurement comprises the steps of controlling M measuring probes and N early warning probes to scan a surface to be measured, detecting obstacles on the surface to be measured through the early warning probes, and acquiring corresponding obstacle detection signals, wherein the M measuring probes and the N early warning probes are sequentially distributed along the scanning movement direction; n, M are each integers greater than or equal to 1; controlling the measurement probe to cross over the detected obstacle in accordance with the obstacle detection signal. The early warning probe can identify the obstacle, and when the obstacle is detected, the early warning is generated for the measuring probe, so that the height of the measuring probe is adjusted before the measuring probe reaches the obstacle, the transverse speed does not need to be reduced to avoid colliding with the obstacle, and the measuring speed is further improved; the invention can realize high-speed and accurate surface scanning measurement.

Description

Control method, processing method and device for probe measurement

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of micro-nano measurement, in particular to a control method, a processing method and a device for probe measurement.

Background

The measurement and imaging of surface physical and chemical properties in the micro-nano field is a scientific research, and the industry applies very common techniques, and the importance of the techniques is self-evident, however, how to implement the measurement quickly and accurately is always a challenge.

In particular, in the chip industry, the chip manufacturing 5 nm technology node has been realized, and the chip manufacturing 3 nm technology node has been successfully developed, but the measurement technology in the chip industry is far behind. Not only the detection means is not enough, but also the speed of reaching the nano-scale surface measurement is very slow, and the level of on-line detection and even spot inspection of the chip industry can not be met.

In the prior art, a Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) can measure sub-nanometer longitudinal and lateral resolutions, especially three-dimensional structures of several nanometers to tens of nanometers. However, the measurement speed is slow, and it is estimated that it takes at least 30 days to completely measure the chips (DIE) on one wafer. One of the main reasons for the slow measuring speed is that the probe has to be only a few nanometers to tens of nanometers away from the surface to measure the three-dimensional shape of the nanometer scale. In order to avoid the probe colliding with the three-dimensional structure of the surface to be measured and affecting the measurement accuracy, the probe must travel at an extremely slow speed in the measurement process.

In the existing scanning probe microscope technology, such as an atomic force microscope, in the commonly used amplitude modulation mode measurement process of the scanning probe microscope, a probe makes mechanical vibration with certain amplitude near the intrinsic resonance frequency of the probe, and the amplitude of the probe vibration is changed by the interaction between the needle tip and the surface to be measured. The variation of the amplitude is used as a feedback signal to adjust the distance between the needle tip and the surface to be detected so as to recover the vibration amplitude of the probe to a set value, thereby realizing the tracking of the appearance of the surface to be detected. In this process, several key parameters that affect the measurement are as follows:

1) intrinsic resonance frequency fo of the tip

Depending on the structural design of the probe, this frequency can typically be as high as 1MHz to 25MHz, and the sampling frequency of the tip electrical signal is limited by the tip vibration frequency. If the sampling frequency of the needle point electronic signal is set to be equal to one needle point vibration period, the time of one measuring point is 1 microsecond to 0.4 microsecond at most.

2) Parallel moving speed Vx and Vy of needle tip in scanning direction

This speed can be very fast without obstacles. The driving device can be piezoelectric ceramics or a voice coil motor. The limiting movement speed can exceed 1m/s, i.e. one microsecond can move 1 micron. Assuming that 1000 sampling points are measured in the middle of the movement, the measurement time of each point is 1 microsecond, the distance is 10 nanometers, and the required transverse movement speed is 10 mm/s. This lateral speed is completely without problems with current drive mechanisms.

3) The lowest speed of movement is the longitudinal speed of movement of the needle tip when it descends and ascends, especially the reaction speed of the feedback loop when encountering an obstacle.

The main factor limiting the scanning speed of a scanning probe microscope comes from the longitudinal feedback speed of the needle tip. In the scanning process of the conventional scanning probe microscope, the needle point moves up and down rapidly under the control of a feedback loop, so that the surface relief and appearance are tracked. However, due to the response time of the feedback circuit and the mechanical construction of the scanner, the bandwidth of the entire feedback process is greatly restricted. If the transverse speed is maintained to be higher, the needle tip cannot feed back in time in the longitudinal direction, and the collision between the needle tip and the three-dimensional structure of the surface of the sample is easily generated, so that the damage to the needle tip or the surface structure of the sample is caused. In order to coordinate with the feedback of the tip longitudinal direction, the transverse scan speed must be correspondingly reduced, thereby affecting the overall scan speed.

The beam deflection is a well-known cantilever deflection measurement method, which is widely used in atomic force microscopes, and utilizes a position-sensitive photodetector to capture the deflection of a laser reflected beam so as to measure the vibration amplitude of a cantilever probe when the cantilever probe scans on the surface of a sample, so that the atomic force microscope achieves atomic resolution. However, since the beam deflection sensor is not integrated with the cantilever, frequent adjustment is required. Furthermore, measuring the deflection of an array of cantilever beams using a single optical sensor is relatively complex. In this regard, attempts have been made to implement microcantilevers with integrated sensors using micro-electromechanical systems or MEMS processes. A silicon cantilever based on piezoresistive and electrothermal transducing actuation method is known from DE102017202455a1, where the deflection of the cantilever is generated by an electrothermal drive of a bi-material and a piezo-resistor measured from a wheatstone bridge is used to sense the deflection signal of the cantilever.

An active piezoresistive cantilever array is known from EP2171425B1, in which several individual piezoresistive cantilevers are arranged in an array to achieve topographical, physical and chemical analysis of a surface in a manner that independently controls the drive and read feedback of individual tip cantilevers, but still does not achieve very high scanning speeds in a fundamentally efficient manner.

Authors a.ahmad, t.ivannov, t.angelov and i.rangelow in the literature, Fast atomic force with self-transmitted, self-presenting scanner ", DOI:10.1117/1.jmm.14.3.031209 propose the" adaptive scan "process for high-speed scanning techniques, which works on the principle that the difference (error) between the actual amplitude and the set value of the probe is continuously detected during the high-speed scanning. And once the error is detected to be larger than the set value, namely a large obstacle is encountered, the scanning speed is immediately reduced. When the error returns to within the normal range, the high speed scan can be resumed. In short, the scanning speed is kept high in the flat area, and the scanning speed is reduced only when an obstacle is met. This technique can greatly improve the overall scanning speed. However, when the density of the obstacles on the surface of the sample is high, the scanning speed needs to be continuously adjusted during the scanning process, which still has a great influence on the overall scanning speed. Furthermore, it is also difficult to ensure complete avoidance of collisions between the probe and the obstacle during the speed change.

The limit feedback speed of the existing rapid scanning probe microscope in the longitudinal direction can reach 10mm/s, and the feedback bandwidth of a feedback loop can exceed 100kHz (namely the reaction time is 10 mus). Under the condition of meeting the parameters, the scanner drives the probe to move for 100nm in the longitudinal direction in a feedback period. If the obstacle to be crossed exceeds 100nm, sufficient feedback time must be provided by reducing the scanning speed in the lateral direction. Assuming a height of the obstacle of 1000nm, the required feedback time has to be increased by a factor of 10, and correspondingly the lateral scanning speed has to be decreased by a factor of 10, and so on. It follows that large obstacles, although their number may be small, have a very large effect on the scanning speed.

According to the invention, the M + N probes with a certain height gradient are arranged in the scanning movement direction, so that the early warning of the front-end obstacle in the scanning movement direction is realized, and sufficient time is provided for the rear probes to cross the obstacle (which is equivalent to the early feedback of the obstacle), thereby realizing continuous and rapid measurement.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a control method, a processing method and a device for probe measurement, which aim to solve the problem of low micro-nano measurement speed.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of probe measurement, comprising:

when the M measuring probes and the N early warning probes are controlled to scan a surface to be detected, detecting obstacles on the surface to be detected through the early warning probes, and acquiring corresponding obstacle detection signals, wherein the M measuring probes and the N early warning probes are distributed in sequence along the scanning movement direction; n, M are each integers greater than or equal to 1;

controlling the measurement probe to cross over the detected obstacle in accordance with the obstacle detection signal.

Optionally, the longitudinal measurement range of the tip of the early warning probe is matched with the height of an obstacle to be detected, and the longitudinal measurement range of the tip when the measurement probe is not crossed is matched with the height required for scanning the surface to be detected when no obstacle exists.

Optionally, the obstacle detection signal is indicative of the height and position of the detected obstacle;

controlling the measurement probe to cross over the detected obstacle in accordance with the obstacle detection signal, including:

determining crossing parameters of the measuring probe according to the height and the position of the detected obstacle, the current height and the position of the measuring probe and the movement speed of the measuring probe, wherein the crossing parameters are used for representing the rising time, the height difference and the crossing distance or the crossing duration required by the measuring probe to cross the corresponding obstacle;

controlling the measurement probe to cross the corresponding obstacle according to the crossing parameter.

Optionally, after controlling the measurement probe to cross the corresponding obstacle according to the crossing parameter, the method further includes:

controlling the measuring probe to recover to the longitudinal measuring range of the needle tip when no crossing is carried out, or: controlling the measurement probe to cross another obstacle.

Optionally, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the longitudinal measurement ranges of the tips are different and coincide when different early warning probes do not span;

the N early warning probes are distributed in sequence along the scanning movement direction, the lower limit values of the corresponding longitudinal measurement ranges are sequentially increased in an increasing mode, and the upper limit values are also sequentially increased in an increasing mode;

aiming at any ith early warning probe, after acquiring an obstacle detection signal of the ith early warning probe, the method further comprises the following steps:

controlling the kth early warning probe to cross over the obstacle detected by the ith early warning probe according to the obstacle detection signal of the ith early warning probe; wherein k is more than i, and i is more than 1 and less than or equal to M.

Optionally, before controlling the measurement probe and the early warning probe to scan the surface to be measured, the method further includes:

determining the jth scanning line as the current scanning line, wherein j is more than or equal to 1;

and determining the measuring probes and the early warning probes in the M + N probes according to the arrangement sequence of the M + N probes along the scanning motion direction of the current scanning line.

Optionally, before determining that the jth scan line is the current scan line, the method further includes:

controlling the M + N probes to scan the surface to be detected by taking the j-1 th scanning line as a current scanning line, and completing the scanning required by the j-1 th scanning line;

and controlling the M + N probes to move to the first scanning line.

Optionally, the scanning motion direction of the jth scanning line and the scanning motion direction of the jth-1 scanning line are two opposite directions;

controlling the M + N probes to move to the jth scan line, specifically including:

and controlling the M + N probes to move to the outer side of the starting point of the jth scanning line along a translation direction, wherein the translation direction is perpendicular to the scanning motion direction of the jth scanning line.

Optionally, according to the arrangement order of the M + N probes along the scanning motion direction of the current scanning line, before determining the measurement probe and the early warning probe in the M + N probes, the method further includes:

determining the set initial height of each measuring probe and each early warning probe;

sequentially controlling each probe to enter the current scanning line;

and after each probe enters the first scanning point of the current scanning line, controlling the probe to move to the corresponding set initial height.

Optionally, the control method for probe measurement further includes: before controlling each probe to enter the current scanning line in turn, the method further comprises:

and determining the reference heights of the M + N probes.

Optionally, determining the reference heights of the M + N probes includes:

controlling the M + N probes to descend so that the probes contact the surface of the ultra-flat reference sample;

the height value of each probe is recorded as the reference height of the corresponding probe.

Optionally, determining the reference heights of the M + N probes includes:

selecting any point of the surface to be detected as a reference point;

sequentially controlling the M + N probes to move above the reference point and controlling the probes to descend until the probes are contacted with the reference point;

and recording the height value of each probe when contacting the reference point as the reference height of the corresponding probe.

Optionally, the control method for probe measurement further includes:

before any p-th probe enters a first scanning point of the j-th scanning line, if no obstacle is detected by the p + 1-th probe, controlling the p-th probe to move to a corresponding set initial height;

if the p +1 th probe detects an obstacle, controlling the p-th probe to cross the corresponding obstacle;

wherein the p-th probe and the p + 1-th probe are the p-th probe and the p + 1-th probe distributed along the scanning motion direction of the current scanning line in the N probes.

Optionally, before controlling the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to scan the surface to be measured, the method further includes:

determining a scanning motion direction of a probe array formed by a plurality of probes; wherein the probe array comprises a plurality of rows of probes, each row of probes for entering a corresponding one of the scan lines;

and determining the measuring probes and the early warning probes in each row of probes according to the arrangement sequence of the probes in the probe array along the scanning movement direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing probe measurements, comprising: when or after the probe is controlled by the control method for probe measurement according to the first aspect of the present invention and its alternatives,

and determining the target measurement result of the corresponding scanning point according to the measurement results of different probes aiming at the same scanning point.

Optionally, the processing method for probe measurement further includes:

and determining deviation information measured by the probe according to the measurement results of different probes aiming at the same scanning point.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a probe measurement apparatus comprising: the system comprises a scanning control module and a plurality of probes, wherein the probes comprise M measuring probes and N early warning probes;

the scanning control module is configured to generate signal interaction with each probe; to take measurements of the probe and control the movement of the probe to perform the method of controlling the measurement of the probe according to the first aspect of the invention and its alternatives.

Optionally, the device further comprises a result output module, wherein the result output module is configured to interact with the scanning control module through signals, so as to obtain the measurement result from the scanning control module and output the measurement result in a specified format.

Optionally, when the probe is at the predetermined initial height, an included angle between a connection line of the tips of the M + N probes and the corresponding scanning movement direction is a designated included angle.

Optionally, the scan control module includes a first control part, the first control part includes a probe control unit corresponding to each probe and a joint control and data processing unit,

the joint control and data processing unit is electrically connected with the probe control unit so as to control the movement of the corresponding probe along the longitudinal direction through the probe control unit and receive the measurement result of each probe.

Optionally, the scanning control module further includes a second control unit, and the second control unit is configured to control the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to move along the scanning movement direction.

Optionally, the scanning control module further includes a third control unit, and the third control unit is configured to control the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to move along a translation direction perpendicular to the scanning movement direction.

Optionally, the plurality of probes comprises:

and the probe is used for measuring the three-dimensional appearance of the surface to be measured.

Optionally, the plurality of probes further comprises at least one of:

the probe is used for measuring the electrical information of the object to be measured;

the probe is used for measuring mechanical information of an object to be measured;

the probe is used for measuring the magnetic information of the object to be measured;

a probe for measuring optical information of an object to be measured;

the probe is used for measuring the acoustic information of the object to be measured;

a probe for measuring a component of a substance to be measured.

In the above alternative, each probe can measure the three-dimensional landform of the surface to be measured, and meanwhile, according to the actual application scene, different measurement data can be obtained by adopting probes with different physical or chemical properties, or the physical and chemical properties of the surface to be measured can be measured simultaneously.

According to the control method, the processing method and the device for probe measurement, provided by the invention, the M measuring probes and the N early warning probes are sequentially distributed along the scanning movement direction, and during scanning movement, the early warning probes can reach each position in the scanning movement direction earlier than the measuring probes, and can identify the obstacle based on the early warning probes.

Meanwhile, the same measurement site is scanned by all the probes in sequence, and the measurement data of each probe more or less contains the information of the measurement site. On the basis of the invention, if the measurement data of the early warning probe and the measurement probe are combined, a more accurate measurement result can be obtained.

Therefore, the method can quickly realize the scanning measurement of the nanometer precision of the surface to be measured, and can be helpful for enabling the measurement result to be more accurate.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a first flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a probe arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of a probe arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2c is a third schematic diagram of the probe arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2d is a fourth schematic diagram of the probe arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a first flowchart illustrating the step S102 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of probe height adjustment in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a graph of the height of the probe tip from the surface under test and the measured signal according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a second flowchart illustrating the step S102 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a second flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a third flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a fourth flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating step S107 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a fifth flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a first flowchart illustrating the step S111 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a second step S1111 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a sixth flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurements according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a seventh flowchart illustrating a method for controlling probe measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing probe measurements in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a probe measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "upper surface", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated, and thus, are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying any number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means a plurality, e.g., two, three, four, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "connected" and the like are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning fixedly attached, detachably attached, or integrally formed; can be mechanically connected, electrically connected or can communicate with each other; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific examples. The following several specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and details of the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

Referring to fig. 1, a method for controlling probe measurement includes:

s101: when M measuring probes and N early warning probes are controlled to scan a surface to be detected, detecting obstacles on the surface to be detected through the early warning probes, and acquiring corresponding obstacle detection signals, wherein the M measuring probes and the N early warning probes are distributed in sequence along the scanning movement direction; n, M are each integers greater than or equal to 1;

s102: controlling the measurement probe to cross over the detected obstacle in accordance with the obstacle detection signal.

In one embodiment, the M + N probes comprise:

In one embodiment, the M + N probes further comprise at least one of:

a probe for measuring the magnetic information of the object to be measured;

a probe for measuring optical information of an object to be measured;

a probe for measuring a component of a substance to be measured.

The material, shape, size and performance parameters (including eigen-resonance frequency and elastic coefficient) of each probe may or may not be identical. Each probe can measure the three-dimensional appearance of the surface to be measured, and meanwhile, according to the actual application scene, the probes with different physical or chemical properties can be adopted to obtain different measurement data, or the physical and chemical properties of the surface to be measured can be measured simultaneously.

Referring to fig. 2a to 2b, in one embodiment, at a predetermined initial height, an angle between a connection line of tips of probes (e.g., C1, C2, C3) in a same row and a corresponding scan line is a target angle, which can be understood as:

the M + N probes are sequentially distributed along the scanning motion direction, and for example, a straight line formed by arranging the needle points of the M + N probes is completely coincided with the scanning motion direction; for example, a straight line formed by arranging the tips of the M + N probes forms a certain included angle with the scanning movement direction, and the included angle can be set according to a specific application scenario.

The M + N probes form an array and are fixed on the same base, and the distance between every two adjacent probes along the scanning movement direction can be the same or different. All probes move at the same speed in the scanning direction.

Wherein, the M + N probes sequentially increase the longitudinal height of each probe along the scanning direction. Such longitudinal alignment may be achieved by at least one of:

each probe (e.g. for passive probes by external mechanical excitation) is realized by a high-low mechanical setting, e.g. figure 2d,

each probe (for example for an active probe excited and controlled by thermomechanical means) is realized by electrical means applying a dc bias,

each probe (e.g. for active probes excited and controlled by other means) is implemented by applying other bias excitation signals,

each probe is realized by an arrangement in which an array of probes set at the same height is inclined at an angle in the vertical longitudinal direction, as shown in figure 2c,

each probe is implemented by an arrangement in which an array of probes set at the same height is inclined at an angle in the vertical direction in the longitudinal direction while forming an angle in the vertical direction in the lateral direction in the scanning direction.

The longitudinal vertical direction is understood to be the direction in which the probe vibrates, and the transverse vertical direction is understood to be the direction in which the probe translates, i.e. in the horizontal plane, perpendicular to the direction of scanning motion.

The longitudinal measurement range of the probe represents the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the height from the probe tip to the surface to be measured, for example, the surface to be measured is regarded as an xy plane, the height is regarded as a z axis, and if the lower limit value of the probe tip on the positive half axis of the z axis is 10nm and the upper limit value of the probe tip on the positive half axis of the z axis is 30nm, the longitudinal measurement range of the probe is 10-30 nm.

It can be seen that, because the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes are sequentially distributed along the scanning movement direction, during the scanning movement, the early warning probes reach each position in the scanning movement direction earlier than the measurement probes, and can identify the obstacle based on the early warning probes.

The early warning probe operates in an amplitude modulation or frequency modulation mode with constant height, and the obstacle detection is realized by detecting the change of the vibration amplitude or frequency of the probe. The measurement probe operating mode may be any scanning mode that can be implemented by a scanning probe microscope, including contact mode, tapping mode, non-contact mode, and the like. According to the selected scanning mode, the measuring probe maintains constant probe parameters under the action of a feedback loop to realize the measurement of the surface property to be measured.

Meanwhile, the same measurement site is scanned by all the probes in sequence, and the measurement data of each probe more or less contains the information of the measurement site. On the basis of the invention, if the measurement data of the early warning probe and the measurement probe are superposed, the signal to noise ratio of the measurement can be improved. Therefore, the method can quickly realize the scanning measurement of the nanometer precision of the surface to be measured, and can be helpful for enabling the measurement result to be more accurate.

In one example, any probe is coordinated and synchronized with other probes, wherein the coordinated and synchronized operations can be understood as that all probes share a data processing module, a scanning control module, a common mechanical support is used for fixing each probe sensor, a workbench shares a tested sample, and the like.

In one embodiment, the longitudinal measurement range of the tip of the early warning probe is matched with the height of an obstacle to be detected, and the longitudinal measurement range of the tip when the measurement probe is not spanned is matched with the height required for scanning the surface to be detected when no obstacle exists.

The lower limit value of the longitudinal measuring range of the needle tip of the early warning probe is larger than the height of the detected obstacle, the lower limit value of the longitudinal measuring range of the needle tip is the minimum when the measuring probe does not span, the surface to be detected can be accurately detected, the setting of the longitudinal measuring range of each probe realizes the measurement of different heights of the surface to be detected, the early warning probe is maintained at a higher position and used as high-position measurement, early warning information can be provided for the measuring probe, and then the early warning probe does not need to reduce the scanning speed when the early warning probe spans the obstacle.

In one example, the lower limit value of the longitudinal measuring range of the needle tip when the measuring probe does not perform crossing is the lowest height for performing three-dimensional topographic measurement; in one example, the lower limit of the longitudinal measurement range of the probe tip when the measurement probe is not crossed is higher than the lowest height for measuring the three-dimensional topography, so that the measurement of the three-dimensional topography of the measured surface below a certain set height is ignored.

In one example, for the same surface to be measured, the same type of measurement data of different probes at the same position along the scanning direction can be processed in an overlapping manner, so that the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement result can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the longitudinal measurement range of the tip of the early warning probe is set to match the height of the obstacle to be detected, so that the early warning probe detects the obstacle on the basis that the early warning probe does not collide with the obstacle (i.e., does not collide with the obstacle to be detected), and further provides a more accurate obstacle detection signal for the measurement probe.

Referring to fig. 3, in one embodiment, the obstacle detection signal is indicative of the height and position of the detected obstacle;

step S102, comprising:

s1021: determining crossing parameters of the measuring probe according to the height and the position of the detected obstacle, the current height and the position of the measuring probe and the movement speed of the measuring probe, wherein the crossing parameters are used for representing the rising time, the height difference and the crossing distance or the crossing duration required by the measuring probe to cross the corresponding obstacle;

s1022: and controlling the measuring probe to cross the corresponding obstacle according to the crossing parameter.

Wherein the obstacle detection signal includes: the number of the probe, the height of the probe, whether the obstacle is detected, the height of the obstacle, the coordinates of the obstacle and the like, and then the crossing parameters are determined according to the obstacle detection signals.

In the above embodiment, the different early warning probes can detect the obstacles with different heights, and then the early warning probes can cross the obstacles based on the obstacle detection signals of the early warning probes in front of the early warning probes, so that the increase of the measurement speed is not only suitable for the surface with small fluctuation in the longitudinal height direction, but also suitable for the steep surface with large fluctuation in the longitudinal height direction.

The calculation of the crossing parameters when the measurement probe crosses an obstacle is described below with reference to fig. 4 to 5:

assuming that the surface to be measured is an xy plane, the probe moves along an X axis, the vibration direction of the probe is a z axis, the speed of the measuring probe C1 and the early warning probe C2 along the scanning movement direction is Vx, the sampling frequency of the measuring probe C1 is f0, the height of an obstacle DF1 detected by the early warning probe C2 at the position of X2 is H2, the coordinates of the tip of the measuring probe C1 at the latest starting to be heightened are (X1 and H1), the moving speed Vz of the measuring probe C1 in the z axis direction is, the minimum early warning distance D of the obstacle DF1 of the measuring probe C1 in the X axis direction is (H2-H1) Vx/Vz, and the rising time in the z axis direction is t (H2-H1)/Vz;

during the height adjustment, the height Hi of the measuring probe C1 from the surface to be measured right below when the measuring probe C moves to Xi:

Hi＝(H2-H1)*(Xi-X1)/D+H1-hi，

and hi is the height of the three-dimensional structure of the surface to be measured at the Xi position.

During the course of the height adjustment, measurement probe C1 may deviate from true measurements of the underlying surface under test due to the deviation from the measurement equilibrium position. However, since the interaction force between the probe and the surface-to-be-measured and the distance therebetween have a monotonic relationship as shown in fig. 5, when the probe C1 moves to Xi, the distance Hi from the three-dimensional structure of the surface-to-be-measured directly below can be given by the relationship Fi ═ F (Xi, Hi) as shown in fig. 5. Through the relation, the height hi of the three-dimensional structure of the surface to be measured in the lifting stage can be accurately measured.

Referring to fig. 6, in an embodiment, after step S1022, the method further includes:

s1023: controlling the measuring probe to recover to the longitudinal measuring range of the needle tip when no crossing is carried out, or: controlling the measurement probe to cross another obstacle.

In the above embodiment, when the early warning probe detects an obstacle, the measurement probe is controlled to increase the longitudinal measurement range to cross the obstacle, and after the obstacle is crossed, the subsequent early warning probe and the measurement probe are controlled to return to the set height of the needle tip when the crossing is not performed. The coordinate point executing the recovery process also depends on the early warning information transmission of the early warning probe. And the coordinate point of the adjacent rear probe executing the recovery process is the corresponding coordinate point when the obstacle is separated from the longitudinal measurement range of the adjacent front probe. Prior to this, the probe was maintained at the height when crossing the obstacle; if another obstacle needs to be crossed, the tip of the measuring probe is kept in a certain range relative to the surface to be measured when the probe does not need to be crossed, and a relatively accurate measuring result is obtained all the time.

Referring to fig. 7, in an embodiment, after step S101, the method further includes:

s103: controlling the kth early warning probe to cross over the obstacle detected by the ith early warning probe according to the obstacle detection signal of the ith early warning probe; wherein k is more than i, and i is more than 1 and less than or equal to M.

Wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, such as fig. 2d, when different pre-warning probes do not span, the longitudinal measurement ranges of the tips are different and overlap;

in the above embodiment, the number of the early warning probes is two or more, the different early warning probes can detect the obstacles at different heights, and then the early warning probes can cross the obstacles based on the obstacle detection signals of the early warning probes in front of the early warning probes, and the increase of the measurement speed is not only suitable for the surface with small fluctuation in the longitudinal height direction, but also suitable for the steep surface with large fluctuation in the longitudinal height direction.

Referring to fig. 8, in an embodiment, before step S101, the method further includes:

s104: determining the jth scanning line as the current scanning line, wherein j is more than or equal to 1;

s105: and determining the measuring probes and the early warning probes in the M + N probes according to the arrangement sequence of the M + N probes along the scanning motion direction of the current scanning line.

In the above embodiment, the early warning probe and the measurement probe are determined before scanning, so that the longitudinal measurement range of each probe is adjusted, the speed of the probe during measurement is improved, and a foundation is provided for subsequent obstacle detection and crossing.

Referring to fig. 9, in an embodiment, before the step S104, the method further includes:

s106: controlling the M + N probes to scan the surface to be detected by taking the j-1 th scanning line as a current scanning line, and completing the scanning required by the j-1 th scanning line;

s107: and controlling the M + N probes to move to the jth scanning line.

Referring to fig. 10, in one embodiment, the scanning direction of the jth scan line and the scanning direction of the j-1 th scan line are opposite directions;

step S107, specifically including:

s1071: and controlling the M + N probes to move to the outer side of the starting point of the jth scanning line along a translation direction, wherein the translation direction is perpendicular to the scanning motion direction of the jth scanning line.

Referring to fig. 11, in an embodiment, before step S105, the method further includes:

s108: determining the set initial height of each measuring probe and each early warning probe;

s109: sequentially controlling each probe to enter the current scanning line;

s110: and after each probe enters the first scanning point of the current scanning line, controlling the probe to move to the corresponding set initial height.

The above embodiment is a preparation stage before scanning, and initializes the system and controls the probe to enter the current scanning line.

In one embodiment, step S109 is preceded by:

s111: and determining the reference heights of the M + N probes.

Referring to fig. 12, in one embodiment, step S111 includes:

s1111: controlling the M + N probes to descend so that the probes contact the surface of the ultra-flat reference sample;

s1112: the height value of each probe is recorded as the reference height of the corresponding probe.

Referring to fig. 13, in one embodiment, step S111 includes:

s1113: selecting any point of the surface to be detected as a reference point;

s1114: sequentially controlling the M + N probes to move to the position above the reference point and controlling the probes to descend until the probes are in contact with the reference point;

s1115: and recording the height value of each probe when contacting the reference point as the reference height of the corresponding probe.

Referring to fig. 14, in an embodiment, the method for controlling the probe measurement further includes:

s112: whether the p +1 th probe detects an obstacle before any of the p-th probes enters the first scanning point of the first scanning line

If an obstacle is detected, step S113 is executed: controlling the p-th probe to move to a corresponding set initial height;

if no obstacle is detected, step S114 is executed: controlling the p-th probe to cross the corresponding obstacle;

The above can be understood as follows:

before any p-th probe enters the first scanning point of the first scanning line, comparing the actual height of the p + 1-th probe with the set height thereof: if the actual heights are lower than the set height, the current measuring area has no obstacles, and all probes start scanning after returning to the set initial height; if the actual height of the early warning probe is found to be close to or even exceed the set height, an obstacle is arranged below the probe, the coordinate and height information of the obstacle is transmitted backwards, and scanning is started after the subsequent probe is guided to cross the obstacle.

In the above example, all the probes sequentially enter the first scanning line, and the height of the entering tip relative to the first scanning point is the predetermined initial height of the previous probe, so that the occurrence of a striker due to an unreasonable setting of the predetermined initial height when entering the scanning line can be avoided.

Referring to fig. 15, in an embodiment, before step S101, the method further includes:

s115: determining a scanning motion direction of a probe array formed by a plurality of probes; wherein the probe array comprises a plurality of rows of probes, each row of probes for entering a corresponding one of the scan lines;

s116: and determining the measuring probes and the early warning probes in each row of probes according to the arrangement sequence of the probes in the probe array along the scanning movement direction.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of scanning lines are adopted to scan simultaneously, so that the measurement time of the same surface to be measured is reduced, and the measurement speed is increased.

In one example, the control method for probe measurement further includes:

and adjusting the set initial heights of at least part of the probes according to the measurement results of the M + N probes on the same position.

Referring to fig. 1 to 16, a specific workflow of the present invention and/or its alternatives is illustrated and combined with the prior art to illustrate the positive effects of the present invention and/or its alternatives:

the specific workflow of the invention and/or alternatives thereof may be, for example:

a preparation stage before scanning: firstly, step S104 is carried out, the current scanning line is determined, then step S111 is carried out, the first scanning point of the jth scanning line is determined to be free of obstacles, and then step S109, step S111, step S109, step S112, step S113 or step S114, step S110 and step S105 are carried out in sequence;

a probe scanning stage: step S101 is entered, the surface to be detected is detected, and then step S103, step S102 and step S106 are completed in sequence;

one scanning line ending stage: in step S106, the probes all complete the measurement of the last scanning point on the scanning line, that is, the scanning of one scanning line is finished, and prepare to enter the scanning of the next scanning line;

the next scanning line preparation phase: this stage is similar to the pre-scan preparation stage except that step S107 is completed to switch scan lines before proceeding to step S105.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the M + N probes with a certain height gradient are arranged in the scanning movement direction, so that the early warning of the front-end obstacle in the scanning movement direction is realized, and sufficient time is provided for the rear probes to cross the obstacle (which is equivalent to the pre-feedback of the obstacle), so that the continuous and rapid measurement can be realized.

Referring to fig. 16, the processing method of probe measurement includes:

when or after controlling the probe using the control method of probe measurement described above,

s201: and determining the target measurement result of the corresponding scanning point according to the measurement results of different probes aiming at the same scanning point.

In one embodiment, a method for processing probe measurements further comprises:

s202: and determining deviation information of the probe measuring device according to the measuring results of different probes aiming at the same scanning point.

Referring to fig. 17, the probe measuring apparatus 3 includes: the system comprises a scanning control module 301 and a probe array 302 consisting of a plurality of probes, wherein the plurality of probes comprise M measuring probes and N early warning probes;

the scan control module 301 is configured to generate a signal interaction with each probe; to obtain the measurement result of the probe and to control the movement of the probe to perform the control method of the probe measurement described above.

In one embodiment, the probe measurement apparatus further includes a result output module 303, and the result output module 303 is configured to interact with the scan control module 301 to obtain the measurement result from the scan control module 301 and output the measurement result in a specified format.

In one embodiment, the plurality of probes comprises:

In one embodiment, the plurality of probes further comprises at least one of:

a probe for measuring optical information of an object to be measured;

a probe for measuring a component of a substance to be measured.

Referring to fig. 2a to 2b, in one embodiment, at a predetermined initial height, an angle between a connection line of tips of M + N probes (e.g., C1, C2, C3 ·) and a corresponding scanning motion direction is a specific angle, which can be understood as:

The plurality of probes can form an array, the probe array comprises a plurality of rows of probes, each row of probes is used for entering a corresponding scanning line, the array is fixed on the same base, and the distance between every two adjacent probes along the scanning movement direction can be the same or different. All the probes move along the scanning direction at the same speed, and at least one row of probes comprises M measuring probes and N early warning probes.

Wherein the plurality of probes can be fixedly arranged by at least one of the following modes:

each probe (e.g. for passive probes by external mechanical excitation) is realized by a high-low mechanical setting,

each probe (e.g. for active probes excited and controlled by other means) is implemented by means of applying other bias excitation signals,

each probe is realized by an arrangement in which an array of probes set at the same height is inclined at an angle in the vertical direction in the longitudinal direction,

In one example, any probe is coordinated with other probes, wherein the coordinated synchronization can be understood as all probes sharing the data processing module 201, the scanning control module 203, and the probe sensors are fixed by a common mechanical support, a table sharing a sample to be measured, and the like.

Referring to fig. 17, in one embodiment, the scan control module 303 includes a first control portion 3011,

the first control section 3011 includes a probe control unit 30111 corresponding to each probe and a joint control and data processing unit 30112,

the joint control and data processing unit 30112 is electrically connected to the probe control unit 30111, so as to control the movement of the corresponding probe along the longitudinal direction through the probe control unit 30111, and receive the measurement result of each probe. More specifically, the probe control unit 30111 is used to control excitation, longitudinal movement, data acquisition, operation, and transmission of the probe. The joint control and data processing unit 30112 obtains the position, motion, and measurement result information of each probe collected by each probe control unit 30111, calculates the scanning motion parameters required for the next step of each probe using the information, and feeds the parameters back to the corresponding probe through each probe control unit 30111. The joint control and data processing 30112 unit obtains the measurement results of each probe collected by each control unit, and performs data processing on the results, including data superposition, and outputs the final measurement result.

In the above embodiment, the different probes control the vibration frequency and the longitudinal measurement range thereof through the different first control portions, which can be conveniently realized: each probe can set different vibration frequencies and longitudinal measurement ranges according to actual needs to obtain measurement results in different ranges, and therefore the early warning effect is achieved.

In one embodiment, the scan control module 301 further includes a second control unit 3012, where the second control unit 3012 is configured to control the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to move along the scan movement direction.

In the above embodiment, the second control unit 3012 controls the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to move along the scanning movement direction, so that the speed of each probe along the scanning movement direction can be the same.

In one embodiment, the scan control module 301 further includes a third control unit 3013, where the third control unit 3013 is configured to control the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to move along a translation direction perpendicular to the scan movement direction.

In the above embodiment, the third control unit 3013 controls the M measurement probes and the N early warning probes to move along the translation direction perpendicular to the scanning movement direction, so that all the measurements can be translated at the same time.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or the like, mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of controlling probe measurements, comprising:

when M measuring probes and N early warning probes are controlled to scan a surface to be detected, detecting obstacles on the surface to be detected through the early warning probes, and acquiring corresponding obstacle detection signals, wherein the M measuring probes and the N early warning probes are distributed in sequence along the scanning movement direction; n, M are each integers greater than or equal to 1;

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal measuring range of the tip of the early warning probe is matched with the height of the obstacle to be detected, and the longitudinal measuring range of the tip when the measurement probe is not crossed is matched with the height required for scanning the surface to be measured without the obstacle.

3. The method of controlling probe measurements according to claim 2, wherein the obstacle detection signal is indicative of the height and position of the detected obstacle;

and controlling the measuring probe to cross the corresponding obstacle according to the crossing parameter.

4. The method of controlling probe measurement according to claim 3, wherein after controlling the measurement probe to cross the corresponding obstacle according to the crossing parameter, the method further comprises:

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and the longitudinal measurement ranges of the tips are different and overlap when different pre-warning probes do not span;

controlling the kth early warning probe to cross the obstacle detected by the ith early warning probe according to the obstacle detection signal of the ith early warning probe; wherein k is more than i, and i is more than 1 and less than or equal to M.

6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein before controlling the measurement probe and the pre-warning probe to scan the surface to be measured, the method further comprises:

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the jth scan line as the current scan line is preceded by:

and controlling the M + N probes to move to the jth scanning line.

8. The method for controlling probe measurement according to claim 7, wherein the scanning motion direction of the jth scanning line and the scanning motion direction of the j-1 th scanning line are two opposite directions;

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the measurement probe and the early warning probe in the M + N probes according to the arrangement order of the M + N probes along the scanning motion direction of the current scanning line further comprises:

sequentially controlling each probe to enter the current scanning line;

and after each probe enters the first scanning point of the current scanning line, the probe is controlled to move to the corresponding set initial height.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein before each probe is controlled to enter the current scan line in sequence, the method further comprises:

and determining the reference heights of the M + N probes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the reference heights of the M + N probes comprises:

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the reference heights of the M + N probes comprises:

selecting any point of the surface to be detected as a reference point;

13. The method of controlling probe measurement according to claim 10, further comprising:

before any p-th probe enters a first scanning point of the j-th scanning line, if the p + 1-th probe does not detect an obstacle, controlling the p-th probe to move to a corresponding set initial height;

14. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein before controlling the M measurement probes and the N pre-warning probes to scan the surface to be measured, the method further comprises:

15. A method of processing probe measurements, comprising: when or after the probe is controlled by the control method for probe measurement according to any one of claims 1 to 14, a target measurement result of a corresponding scanning point is determined according to measurement results of different probes for the same scanning point.

16. The method of processing probe measurements of claim 15, further comprising:

and determining deviation information of the probe measuring device according to the measuring results of different probes aiming at the same scanning point.

17. A probe measurement device, comprising: the system comprises a scanning control module and a plurality of probes, wherein the probes comprise M measuring probes and N early warning probes;

the scanning control module is configured to generate signal interaction with each probe; to obtain the measurement results of the probe and to control the movement of the probe to perform the control method of the probe measurement according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. The probe measurement device of claim 17, further comprising a result output module configured to enable signal interaction with the scan control module to obtain a measurement from the scan control module and output the measurement in a specified format.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein an angle between a line connecting tips of the M + N probes and a corresponding scanning direction is a predetermined angle when the probe is at a predetermined initial height.

20. The probe measurement device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the scanning control module comprises a first control part including a probe control unit corresponding to each probe and a joint control and data processing unit,

21. The probe measurement device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the scanning control module further comprises a second control part, and the second control part is configured to control the M measurement probes and the N pre-warning probes to move along the scanning movement direction.

22. The probe measurement device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the scanning control module further comprises a third control part for controlling the M measurement probes and the N pre-warning probes to move along a translation direction perpendicular to the scanning movement direction.

23. The probe measurement device of any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the plurality of probes comprises:

24. The probe measurement device of any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the plurality of probes further comprises at least one of:

a probe for measuring optical information of an object to be measured;

a probe for measuring a component of a substance to be measured.