JP2000311398A - Fine machining method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the fine machining method which enables desirable machining or the accurate recording of information by eliminating the influence of a sticking body atop of a probe and applying desirable physical operation. SOLUTION: The fine machining method for finely machining a medium by scanning the medium with a probe composed of a probe 101 and an elastic body supporting the probe 101 includes at least a step for controlling the relative positions of the probe and medium, a step for changing the surface state of the medium by applying physical operation to the medium by the probe 101, and a step for removing the deposit 102 at the edge of the probe by bringing the tip of the probe 101 into contact with a cleaning surface 103 for removing the deposit 102 deposited on the tip of the probe and applying a force between the probe tip and cleaning surface 103.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a scanning microscope and a micromachining method using the same to scan a probe to perform micromachining on a medium at a nanometer scale. An object of the present invention is to realize a fine processing method capable of performing more accurate processing or more accurate information recording by removing a kimono.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a scanning tunneling microscope (hereinafter, referred to as STM) capable of observing the surface of a substance with an atomic order resolution [G. Binnig et al. , Physic
al Review Letters, Vol. 49, p. 57 (1982)], and real-space observation at the atomic and molecular levels has become possible. The scanning tunneling microscope scans while controlling the distance between the probe electrode and the sample so as to keep the tunnel current constant, and from the control signal at that time, the information of the electron cloud on the sample surface and the shape of the sample in sub-nanometer order. Can be observed. An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been developed as a means for observing the surface of a substance at a high resolution. STM or AF
For example, a scanning probe microscope (SP) is generally used to perform two-dimensional scanning of the sample surface using a probe and observe physical information on the sample surface from the interaction between the probe and the sample surface.
M), which has attracted attention as a high-resolution (atomic or nanometer scale) surface observation means.
In particular, the AFM has an advantage that the surface shape can be observed even when the observation medium is insulative.

[0003] Further, if the principle of SPM is applied, it is possible to sufficiently access the material surface on the atomic order or on the nanometer scale. For example, at the atomic level,
By modifying the surface at the nanometer scale, processing at the atomic level can be performed. In addition, if a system is used in which the state of a substance is changed on the order of atoms and the changed state is observed again, it is possible to record information at an atomic level. Such information recording is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-63-161552. Among the methods of accessing materials at the atomic level and nanometer scale using the SPM or the SPM technology, there are various advantages in a method in which the probe is supported on an elastic body by applying AFM. For example, if the medium is scanned while the tip of the probe is in contact, the surface shape information of the medium can be obtained by the same method as in the conventional AFM operation, and from this information, the necessary physical action can be applied from the probe to the medium at the required location. can do. In addition, even if the normal AFM operation is not performed, if the tip of the probe is scanned by pressing the tip against the medium by using the restoring force of the elastic body by contacting the tip with the medium, the position of the tip can be changed to the medium. It has the advantage of being on the surface. In this way, the physical action can be applied from the tip of the probe without strictly controlling the position in the direction perpendicular to the medium.

[0004]

However, when the probe is brought into contact with the medium by applying the AFM technique as described above,
If there is any impurity on the medium, it will adhere to the probe, and this will change the distance between the probe and the medium,
In some cases, a desired physical action cannot be applied, or information cannot be recorded correctly.

Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, eliminates the influence of the attached matter at the tip of the probe, and performs desired processing by adding a desired physical action.
Alternatively, it is another object of the present invention to provide a fine processing method capable of more accurately recording information.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a fine processing method is constituted as follows. That is, the microfabrication method of the present invention is a microfabrication method in which a probe composed of a probe and an elastic body supporting the probe is scanned on a medium, and the medium is microfabricated, Controlling a relative position between a probe and a medium, applying a physical action to the medium by the probe to change a surface state of the medium, and changing a tip of the probe to the tip of the probe. Contacting a cleaning surface for removing deposits attached to the probe tip, and applying a force between the probe tip and the cleaning surface to remove the deposits on the probe tip. It is characterized by including. Further, the micromachining method of the present invention is characterized in that the application of the physical action is based on an application pattern determined based on information prepared in advance. Further, in the fine processing method of the present invention, in the step of removing the deposit on the tip of the probe, the step of moving the tip of the probe and the surface for cleaning in a direction parallel to the surface for cleaning may be performed simultaneously. Features. Further, in the fine processing method according to the present invention, in the step of removing the deposits on the tip of the probe, the magnitude of a force applied between the tip of the probe and the cleaning surface is changed to a surface state of the medium. In the step of changing the force, the force acting between the probe and the medium when the physical action is applied in a state where the probe and the medium are in contact with each other is larger than the force applied between the probe and the medium. Also,
The fine processing method of the present invention, the cleaning surface,
It is characterized in that it is a dedicated cleaning area for removing extraneous matter at the tip of the probe. Further, in the microfabrication method of the present invention, the dedicated cleaning region has a convex portion that comes into contact with the probe tip, and applies a force to the probe tip by contact with the convex portion, It is characterized by removing the deposits. Further, the fine processing method of the present invention is characterized in that the dedicated cleaning region is formed of a material having a lower hardness than a material of the tip of the probe. Further, the fine processing method of the present invention, the force applied between the tip of the probe and the surface for cleaning,
It is an electrostatic force acting between the cleaning surface and the probe or an electrostatic force acting between the medium and an elastic body supporting the probe. Further, the fine processing method of the present invention is characterized in that at least two or more of the probes are provided.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention attains the above-mentioned objects of the present invention by the above-mentioned structure. In the above-mentioned structure of the present invention, the medium is formed by applying a physical action by a probe to the surface. It is a workpiece whose state changes,
The probe is a sharp probe at the atomic level or the nanometer level, and is similar to that used in SPM.
In the present invention, the probe is supported by an elastic body. The elastic body is generally a leaf spring called a cantilever used in the AFM. Here, the probe and the elastic body are collectively called a probe. The probe changes the state of the medium by applying a physical action to the medium. The physical action is due to an electromagnetic field including a force, an electric field, a magnetic field, light, and the like. By the application of the physical action, the chemical state such as the composition and bonding on the surface or near the surface of the medium or the physical state such as electric, magnetic or shape changes. The step of controlling the positions of the medium and the probe is to move the relative position of the medium and the tip of the probe in a direction horizontal to the medium (hereinafter referred to as the XY direction) and in a direction perpendicular to the medium (hereinafter referred to as the Z direction). is there. With this operation, the position of the tip of the probe is moved to the position where the physical action is to be applied. The cleaning surface may be anything as long as it can directly apply a force in contact with the probe. The cleaning surface may be the medium itself to be processed, may be prepared separately from the medium, or may be provided in a device provided with a probe to be processed. In the present invention, the attached matter attached to the probe is removed in a state where the probe is in contact with the cleaning surface. This deposit should not be present, but has been accidentally deposited from the surface of the medium or from the atmosphere around the probe, causing the probe to apply the correct interaction to the medium. You will not be able to do it.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining the step of removing the deposit. An attachment 102 is attached to the probe 101. The probe 101 is brought into contact with the cleaning surface 103 and the probe is pressed in the direction shown in the figure. This force is generally applied by pressing the root of the elastic body supporting the probe in a direction in which the probe presses the cleaning surface (FIG. 2). In FIG. 2, the probe 101 is supported by the cantilever 201,
Reference numeral 2 denotes a mounting portion of the cantilever 201. By moving the cantilever 201 mounting portion in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, the cantilever 201 bends and the probe 10
A force as shown in FIG. 1 can be applied to one tip.
The force acting between the tip of the probe and the cleaning surface is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2 and may be any force that acts in a contact state. The removal of the deposit refers to the removal of the deposit from between the tip of the probe and the medium. After the removal, the deposit may be transferred to the cleaning surface (FIG. 3). It may move from the tip of the probe to the side wall of the probe (FIG. 4). By this series of operations, a physical action can be applied to the medium while reducing the influence of the attached matter, and desired processing can be performed.

Further, by determining the application pattern of the physical action based on information prepared in advance,
An information recording method for recording information prepared in advance on a medium can be realized. In this case, the medium is generally called a recording medium, and a position where a physical action is applied is determined based on information, and the surface of the recording medium is processed by a pattern based on the information. For example, when the information is “1” and “0”, there is a procedure in which a physical action is applied at a location corresponding to “1” and no physical action is applied at a location corresponding to “0”.

When a physical action is applied to the medium by using the probe, the physical action is performed in a state where the probe and the medium are in contact with each other, and between the tip of the probe and the cleaning surface, In the step of applying force, the step of moving the tip of the probe and the surface for cleaning in a direction parallel to the surface for cleaning is performed at the same time, so that the attached matter can be more effectively removed. This means that deposits can be more effectively removed by displacing the probe in parallel (in the X and Y directions) to the cleaning surface so as to drag the probe while applying force.

When a physical action is applied to the medium by using the probe, when a physical action is performed in a state where the probe and the medium are in contact with each other, a force is applied between the tip and the cleaning surface. In the step of, the magnitude of the applied force is made larger than the force acting between the tip of the probe and the medium in the step of observing the interaction, so that the deposit can be removed more reliably. It becomes possible. The case shown here is a case where the probe applies a physical action in a state of being in contact with the medium. At this time, a force is often applied between the probe and the medium. For example, when the probe is brought into contact with the medium, a force is generated only between the probe and the medium. When a voltage is applied as a physical action, an electrostatic force is generated between the probe and the medium. In such a case, a certain amount of extraneous matter can be removed by the force applied between the probe and the medium during these observations.However, in order to remove extraneous matter that is not removed by the force, the interaction must be detected. During removal can be removed by applying a force greater than the force applied between the probe and the medium.

Further, by providing a dedicated cleaning area for removing the attached matter at the tip of the probe, and removing the attached matter at the tip of the probe in the area, the influence of the removed attached matter is reduced. be able to. This is because if the removed deposits remain on the medium as shown in FIG. 3, when processing is performed again at this location, the influence of the removed deposits may occur, or the location may be probed again. May pass over to the probe once again. By providing a dedicated area (cleaning area) for removing the attached matter at the tip of the probe and removing the attached matter at the tip of the probe, the influence of the removed matter can be avoided. The cleaning-dedicated area may be provided on the medium, may be separately provided with a cleaning area, or may be provided in an apparatus having a probe.

[0013] As a specific means for generating a force between the probe and the cleaning surface to remove deposits on the tip of the probe, a convex portion is provided in the cleaning area, and the probe is attached to the convex portion. There is a method of applying a force to the tip of the probe by bringing the probe into contact. This is the method shown in FIG.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 501 denotes a convex portion. FIG. 5 shows the positions of the probe 101 and the cantilever 201. When the tip of the probe comes to the convex portion 501, the probe 10 is automatically set without adjusting the position of the mounting portion 202 of the cantilever 201.
One tip comes into contact with the projection 501, and a force is applied. In FIG. 5, a dotted line shows a state in which the attached matter is not removed.

Further, as a specific means for generating a force between the probe and the cleaning surface to remove the deposits on the tip of the probe, an electrostatic force acting between the cleaning surface and the probe is used. be able to. This means that a voltage can be applied between the probe and the cleaning surface, or between the elastic body and the cleaning surface, to generate an electrostatic force and generate a force between the probe tip and the cleaning surface. it can. This force is not limited to the outermost surface of the cleaning surface, but may be an electrostatic force acting between the lower portion and the probe when an insulating film is present on the surface.

The method of providing the protrusions and the method of using electrostatic force can apply a force only to a desired probe tip when removing the deposits on the tip of the probe supported by a plurality of elastic bodies. This has the advantage that the required force need not be applied to other probes. FIG. 6 shows a method of applying a force by applying a probe tip supported by a plurality of elastic bodies to a convex portion. 6 in the figure
01 to 604 are probes, and each probe is supported by an elastic cantilever 605 to 608. 6
Reference numeral 09 denotes a projection provided in the cleaning-dedicated area 610. The figure shows a state in which the attached matter at the tip of the probe 602 supported by the cantilever 606 is removed from the group of cantilevers and probes. The size of the protrusion 609 in the X and Y directions is about the distance between two adjacent probes, only one probe 602 contacts the protrusion 609, and a force is applied to the tip of the probe. In addition, it is also possible to bring all the probes into contact with each other, bring the probe 602 into contact with the convex portion, and flex the cantilever 606 only greatly to apply a greater force to the tip of the probe 602 than to the other tips. . In this manner, a force for removing adhering matter can be applied only to a specific one of the probes supported by the plurality of cantilevers.

In the method using an electrostatic force, if an electrostatic force is generated by applying a voltage between a specific probe or cantilever and a cleaning surface,
A force for removing the attached matter is applied only to the tip of a specific probe, and unnecessary force is not applied to the other probes. Further, by making the hardness of the dedicated cleaning area lower than that of the material of the tip of the probe, it is possible to suppress a phenomenon that the probe is chipped and deteriorated when removing the attached matter.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Embodiment 1 As Embodiment 1 according to the present invention, a fine processing method based on AFM will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a fine processing apparatus used in performing the fine processing method according to the first embodiment. The fine processing apparatus used in the present embodiment includes a processing medium (recording medium) 701 a probe 702 a cantilever 703 a laser 704 a two-part sensor 705 a deflection amount detection device 706 a Z-direction position control circuit 707 a medium stage 708 a medium stage drive mechanism 709 XY position. The control circuit 710 includes a microcomputer 711 and a power supply 712.

Processing medium (recording medium) 7 used in this embodiment
01 is shown in FIG. In the figure, a processing medium (recording medium) 701 has a configuration in which a polyimide LB film 803 is formed with a thickness of about 3 nm on a gold (111) crystal 802 epitaxially grown on a silicon substrate 801. The probe 702 has a square cone shape silicon nitride, and the cantilever 703 supporting the same is also made of silicon nitride. The probe 702 and the cantilever 703 are the same as those used in a normal AFM. Tungsten is applied to the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701 of the probe 702 and the cantilever 703 by a sputtering method, so that conductivity is obtained. This tungsten is also attached to the tip of the probe 702. The surface of the cantilever 703 opposite to the processing medium (recording medium) 701 is coated with Au to increase the light reflectance. The spring constant of the cantilever used in this example was 0.05 N / m. The laser 704 used was a semiconductor laser having a wavelength of 670 nm. The two-division sensor 705 incorporates two photodiodes and determines the position of the irradiated laser. Deflection detector 7
Reference numeral 06 detects the amount of deflection of the cantilever 703 based on a signal from the two-divided sensor 705. For position detection in the Z direction, the laser 704 irradiates the side of the cantilever 703 opposite to the sample, and the laser light is introduced into the two-divided sensor 705. 2
The split sensor 705 detects the optical path of the laser beam from the difference in the intensity of the light incident on the two diodes, which depends on the amount of deflection of the cantilever 703. 706 detects the amount of deflection of the cantilever 703. This method is generally called an optical lever method.

The Z-direction position control circuit 707 includes a control signal from the microcomputer 711 and the deflection amount detecting device 70.
The position of the medium stage drive mechanism 709 in the illustrated Z direction is controlled from the signal of No. 6. The medium stage 708 holds and fixes a processing medium (recording medium) 701, and is moved in the XYZ directions in the figure by a medium stage driving mechanism 709. In this embodiment, a stepping motor is used for the coarse movement mechanism of the drive mechanism and a piezo element is used for the fine movement mechanism. The XY-direction position control circuit 710 controls the position of the medium stage drive mechanism 709 in the XY direction in the figure based on a signal from the microcomputer 711. The microcomputer 711 controls the overall operation of the AFM of this embodiment. The power supply 712 can apply a voltage between the tungsten thin film of the probe 702 and the gold crystal 802. Polyimide LB film 80
Numeral 3 is insulative and has a high resistance, but when a voltage of about 5 to 10 V is applied by the power supply 712 in a state where the probe 702 is in contact with the surface, the conductivity increases in a spot-like region having a diameter of 10 nm. In this embodiment, the microcomputer 711 instructs the power supply 712 to apply a voltage at a location corresponding to the information “1” based on the information to be written. In this embodiment, if there is any deposit on the tip of the probe, the distance between the tip of the probe 702 and the gold crystal 802 changes, and a predetermined voltage cannot be applied to the polyimide LB film, and the conductivity increases. May not be generated, and it may not be possible to form a correct recording bit.

The operation of this embodiment is as follows. First, the microcomputer 711 sends a control signal to the XY direction position control circuit 710 to move the probe 702 to a position where observation in the XY direction is desired to be observed. Next, the microcomputer 711 instructs the Z-direction position control circuit 707 to bring the probe 702 into contact with the processing medium (recording medium) 701. Next, the microcomputer 711 instructs the Z-direction position control circuit 707 to perform feedback in the Z-direction so that the signal from the deflection amount detection device 706 becomes constant.
In this state, the microcomputer 711 instructs the XY direction position control circuit 710 to cause the probe 702 to scan the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701. That is, in a state where the amount of deflection of the cantilever 703 is constant, that is, in a state where the force acting between the tip of the probe 702 and the processing medium (recording medium) 701 is constant, the probe 702 is moved to the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701. Scan above. At this time, the microcomputer controls the position in the XY direction and the position control circuit 707 in the Z direction.
The shape information of the sample surface can be obtained by the control signal from the controller. These series of operations are similar to those of the conventional AFM. In this embodiment, the deflection amount is about 0.2.
μm, and the spring constant is 0.05 n
/ M, a force of about 1 × 10 ⁻⁸ N is applied during observation. During this scanning, the microcomputer 711 instructs the power supply 712 according to the information to be recorded, applies a voltage to the recording medium 701,
The conductivity of the B film 803 is increased. The information to be recorded used in this embodiment is information of "1" and "0", and a recording bit 804 is formed by applying a pulse voltage of about 8 V at the information of "1". The diameter of one recording bit is about 10 nm. When information "1" continues, the interval between adjacent bits is about 30 nm.

In the present embodiment, 100 μm × 1
Recording was performed in an area of 00 μm, and then recording was repeated three times in the same procedure at different locations. Thereafter, the attached matter on the tip of the probe was removed by the following procedure. First, in accordance with a command from the microcomputer 711, the probe 702 is moved away from the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701 to a place where recording is not performed. Next, the microcomputer 711
Commands the Z-direction position control circuit 707 to bring the probe 702 into contact with the surface of the observation sample 701 and adjust the Z-direction position so that the amount of deflection becomes 2 μm. In this state, the probe 702
A force of about 5 × 10 ⁻⁸ N is applied to the tip. After this operation, the probe 702 is separated from the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701. This operation removes dirt from the tip of the probe, and removes deposits on the tip of the probe when the next AFM observation is performed, so that an accurate image can be obtained. In some cases, extraneous matter was not removed simply by the above operation. In this case, the tip of the probe 702 was brought into contact with the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701 and a force of 1 × 10 ⁻⁷ N was applied. Deposits could be removed by scanning in the X and Y directions.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 9 shows Embodiment 2 according to the present invention.
The cleaning substrate 901 which is a dedicated area for removing the probe attached matter is provided in the microfabrication apparatus shown in FIG. 7 used in the first embodiment. The cleaning substrate 901 is a copper substrate, and is used for removing the attached matter at the tip of the probe 702. In this embodiment, a processing medium (recording medium) 701
Recording of information using fine processing is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. When removing the deposits at the tip of the probe, the cleaning substrate 9 is used instead of the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701.
01 surface. The operation to remove the deposits on the tip of the probe
This is the same as Example 1 except that the cleaning is performed on the surface of the cleaning substrate 901. In the present embodiment, since the removed deposit does not remain on the recording medium, the removed deposit may adhere to the probe again, or the removed deposit may affect the recording to be newly performed. I will not give. Further, in this embodiment, the tip of the probe 702 is made of tungsten, and the cleaning substrate 901 is made of copper. Therefore, the probe has a higher hardness, and has an effect that the probe 702 is not chipped and deformed by cleaning.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment using the fine processing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 will be described. The micromachining device shown in FIG. 12 is a micromachining device using a plurality of cantilevers and probes. The AFM used in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment.
A probe group 1001 is provided in place of the probe 702 and the cantilever 703 from the AFM used in the above. A laser 704 is provided with a voltage application device 1002 in place of the deflection sensor 705 in addition to the probe cleaning mechanism 1003. Have.

The probe group 1001 is composed of a plurality of probes 1100 as shown in FIG.
Is composed of a probe 1101 and a cantilever 1102. Each probe is arranged at intervals of 200 μm.
The cantilever 1102 and the probe 1101 are made of silicon, and the probe 1101 is coated with tungsten. In this embodiment, there are a plurality of probes 1100,
At the same time, the recording operation using the fine processing can be performed at the same number of places as the number of the probes, and the recording based on the fine processing can be performed at higher speed and in a wider range. The spring constant of one cantilever is 0.1 N / m. The probe cleaning mechanism 1003 is made of silicon, and has a size of about 50 μm × 50 μm in the X and Y directions on a flat silicon substrate.
A projection having a size in the direction, that is, a height of 1 μm is provided. The entire surface of the cleaning mechanism 1003 is coated with a platinum thin film.

The voltage application device 1002 is electrically connected to the probe of each probe, and can independently apply a voltage to each probe. As in the first embodiment, a recording bit can be formed by applying a voltage in a state where each probe and the processing medium (recording medium) 701 are in contact with each other. In the present embodiment, information recording using micromachining is performed by first issuing a command from the microcomputer 711 to the probe group 1.
001 is moved to the position in the XY direction where processing is desired.
Next, the probe group 1001 is moved to a processing medium (recording medium) 701.
, And the probes of all the probe groups 1001 are brought into contact with the processing medium (recording medium) 701. In this state, the medium stage 708 is scanned in the illustrated XY directions. The probe at the tip of the probe group 1001 scans so as to trace the surface of the processing medium (recording medium) 701. During this scanning, the microcomputer 711 instructs the power supply 712 in accordance with the information to be recorded, and sends it to the processing medium (recording medium) 701.
A voltage of V is applied to increase the conductivity of the polyimide LB film 803. The method of forming the recording bit in each probe is the same as in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, processing can be performed on a plurality of probes at the same time.

A method for removing the deposits on the tip of the probe in the present fine processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the attached matter at the tip of one of the probes in the probe group 1100 is removed. In FIG. 12, 1
Reference numeral 201 denotes a convex portion formed in the cleaning area of the probe cleaning mechanism 1003, and a portion other than the convex portion is 120.
It is indicated by 2. Also, the probes and their probes whose attachments are to be removed are denoted by 1203 and 1204, and other probes and their probes are denoted by 1205 and 1206. The tip of the probe 1203 is aligned with the position of the projection 1201 of the cleaning mechanism 1003, and the probe group 1100 is moved closer to the probe cleaning mechanism 1003. By this approaching operation, the tip of the probe 1204 comes into contact with the projection 1201. In this state, no other probe is in contact with the cleaning mechanism 1003. At this time, a force is applied only to the tip of the probe 1204, and the attached matter is removed. Also, the probe group 110
0 is a part other than the convex part 1201, that is, 120
2 and then move the entire probe group 1100 to XY in FIG. 12 so that only the probe 1204 passes through the projection 1201.
By moving in the direction, a force may be applied only to the probe 1204 to remove the attached matter.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment using the AFM. The AFM used in this embodiment is the same as the microfabrication apparatus shown in FIG. 12, but uses a cleaning mechanism 1301 instead of the cleaning mechanism 1003. Reference numeral 1301 denotes a cleaning mechanism in which a 100-nm-thick polyimide film is spin-coated on a silicon substrate. Here, the tip of the probe is brought into contact with the tip to apply a force to remove the deposits on the tip of the probe. Voltage applying device 1 between each probe of probe group 1001 and silicon substrate
002 allows a voltage to be applied. In the present embodiment, information is recorded every time fine processing is performed on a processing medium (recording medium) 701 by a procedure similar to the method described in the third embodiment. A method for removing deposits on the tip of the probe in the present fine processing apparatus will be described. First, the probe group 1001 is brought into contact with the cleaning mechanism 1301. Next, a voltage is applied between the probe from which the attached matter at the tip is to be removed and the Si substrate 801. By this voltage application, a force is applied between the probe from which the deposit is to be removed and the Si substrate 801, and the deposit is removed. In this embodiment, a voltage of 30 V was applied. Further, by scanning the probe group 1001 in the XY directions in the drawing in a state where the voltage was applied, it was possible to more effectively remove the deposits.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to properly apply the physical action to the medium by the probe by configuring the probe to remove the deposit on the tip of the probe. Thus, more accurate fine processing or more accurate information recording can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating removal of a deposit.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining removal of deposits at the tip of a probe supported by an elastic body.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example after removal of an attached matter at the tip of a probe.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example after removal of an attached matter at a probe tip.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration for removing an attached matter at the tip of a probe using a convex portion.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration for removing deposits on the tip of a probe supported by a plurality of elastic bodies.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a fine processing apparatus used in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a recording medium.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of an AFM used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of an AFM used in a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a probe group.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration for removing an attached matter at the tip of a probe according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration for removing an attached matter at the tip of a probe according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

101: probe 102: attached matter 103: cleaning surface 201: cantilever 501: convex portion 601-604: probe 605-608: cantilever 609: convex portion 701: processing medium (recording medium) 702: probe 703: cantilever 704: Laser 705: 2-split sensor 706: Deflection amount detection device 707: Z direction position control circuit 708: Medium stage 709: Medium stage drive mechanism 710: XY direction position control circuit 711: Microcomputer 712: Power supply 801: Silicon substrate 802 : Gold (111) crystal 803: Polyimide LB film 804: Recording bit 901: Cleaning substrate 1001: Probe group 1002: Voltage applying device 1003: Probe cleaning mechanism 1100: Probe group 1101: Probe 1102: Cantilever 1 201: convex portion 1202: place other than convex portion 1203, 1204: probe and its probe to remove attached matter at the tip 1205, 1206: other probe and probe 1301: probe cleaning mechanism

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2F069 AA51 DD08 DD13 GG01 GG06 GG07 GG15 GG39 GG52 GG56 GG58 GG65 HH04 JJ04 LL03 MM11 MM17 MM23 MM34 PP02 QQ05

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A micro-processing method for scanning a medium with a probe composed of a probe and an elastic body supporting the probe, and performing fine processing on the medium, comprising: Controlling a relative position; applying a physical action to the medium by the probe to change a surface state of the medium; and attaching the tip of the probe to the tip of the probe. Contacting with a cleaning surface for removing, and applying a force between the probe tip and the cleaning surface to remove deposits on the probe tip. Fine processing method. 2. The fine processing method according to claim 1, wherein the application of the physical action is based on an application pattern determined based on information prepared in advance. 3. The step of removing adhering matter at the tip of the probe, wherein the tip of the probe and the cleaning surface are
3. The step of moving in a direction parallel to the cleaning surface is performed simultaneously.
3. The microfabrication method according to 1. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the magnitude of a force applied between the probe tip and the cleaning surface changes the surface state of the medium. The force applied between the probe and the medium when the physical action is applied in a state where the probe and the medium are in contact with each other, is larger than the force acting between the probe and the medium. Fine processing method. 5. The fine processing method according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning surface is a dedicated cleaning area for removing the deposits on the tip of the probe. . 6. The dedicated cleaning area has a convex portion that comes into contact with the tip of the probe, and a force is applied to the tip of the probe by contact with the convex portion to remove the deposit on the tip of the probe. The microfabrication method according to claim 5, wherein: 7. The micromachining method according to claim 5, wherein the dedicated cleaning area is formed of a material having a lower hardness than a material of the tip of the probe. 8. A force applied between the tip of the probe and the cleaning surface may be an electrostatic force acting between the cleaning surface and the probe or an elastic body supporting the medium and the probe. The fine processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the force is an electrostatic force that acts between the micromachining method and the microfabrication method. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least two or more probes are provided.
The microfabrication method according to the paragraph.