JP2004122278A - Control device for scanning probe, working device and observation device thereby, vibrating method for probe and working method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device for a scanning probe stably resting the vibration of a probe in a short time and quickly changing over to a restart of the vibration and to provide a working device and an observation device thereby, a vibration method for the probe and a working method using the same. <P>SOLUTION: This control device for the scanning probe with the probe micro vibrating the probe by resonant frequency and controlling the tip of the conductive micro probe in non-contact with a sample surface. This device is provided with a drive signal generating means generating a vibration drive signal for operating the vibration means by referring to the frequency detected by a vibration frequency detecting means. This device is so constituted as to output the drive signal proportional to the amplitude of the probe and deviating the phase therefrom by controlling a phase shift means and an amplification means provided in the drive signal generating means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a scanning probe utilizing a physical phenomenon caused by bringing a probe and a sample close to each other, a processing apparatus and an observation apparatus using the same, a method for exciting a probe, and a processing method using the same. Measure the atomic force acting between the needle and the sample, measure the fine irregularities on the surface of the observation object in a non-contact manner from the change in those signals, and inject some energy from the tip of the probe into the small area The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for processing a minute area by using the method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, a scanning probe microscope (hereinafter referred to as SPM), which allows a probe and a sample to approach each other, and directly observes the electronic structure on and near the surface by using physical phenomena (tunnel phenomenon, atomic force, etc.) generated at that time. Abbreviations) have been developed, and real-space images of various physical quantities, whether single-crystal or amorphous, can be measured with high resolution.
Among them, a scanning atomic force microscope (hereinafter, referred to as AFM) detects a weak acting force (atomic force: Atomic Force) between an atom at a tip of a probe and an atom on a sample to measure unevenness on the surface of the sample. Therefore, the probe or sample does not require special properties such as conductivity and magnetism, and is effective in measuring the shape of an insulator, particularly an organic material, etc. recently.
[0003]
The AFM is roughly classified into two types, one using an atomic force in a repulsive state and the other using an attractive state, and the former may be called a contact mode AFM and the latter may be called a non-contact mode AFM.
The contact mode AFM measures a repulsive force between a measurement target and a tip of a probe. In this case, the repulsive force changes greatly with the change in the distance between the tip of the probe and the surface of the object to be measured. The load on the system is small. However, the probe and the measurement surface are very close, and the force exerts an influence on the measurement surface and the probe tip more than elastic deformation sometimes, and may damage the sample and the probe tip.
The influence on the measurement of a soft sample such as the above-described organic substance, particularly a biological substance, is large, and accurate observation cannot be performed because the object is deformed or destroyed by the probe and the tip of the probe.
[0004]
On the other hand, the non-contact mode AFM measures the interatomic attractive force between the tip of the probe and the surface of the object to be measured. The effect on both the probe tip and the surface to be measured is very small. Therefore, the non-contact mode AFM does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages of the contact mode AFM, and is useful for measuring a soft sample. However, in the non-contact mode, a change in force is not so sensitive to a change in distance between the probe tip and the sample surface. Therefore, in general, the cantilever type probe is vibrated minutely at the resonance frequency, and indirectly by monitoring the change in the vibration state (frequency shift, phase shift, etc.) when a small change in the attractive force acts on the tip of the probe. Measuring. This naturally complicates the measurement system, and also requires a vibration mechanism for vibrating the probe.
[0005]
Incidentally, the AFM currently most commonly used is an optical lever system in both modes (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). In this method, a probe is provided with a tip of a cantilever having a length of several tens to several hundreds of micrometers as a probe, a laser beam is irradiated on the opposite side of the cantilever from the probe, and the direction of the reflected light is measured. It is configured so that the minute amount of deflection of the cantilever due to the atomic force applied to the needle from the sample can be enlarged and measured by the principle of leverage.
[0006]
On the other hand, the scanning probe microscope has recently been used for a method of processing on the order of nanometers by using its principle and apparatus configuration, and has actually been reported as an apparatus.
The most obvious method of this processing is to propose a cutting method in which the sample surface is processed by moving the probe and the sample surface relatively while the probe supported by the elastic body is in contact with the sample surface. (For example, see Patent Document 1). According to this method, a wiring pattern can be formed or an element itself can be formed by forming an electrically insulating layer by digging a groove in a conductive thin film. However, in practice, due to changes in the tip of the probe due to friction and the effects of cutting chips, etc., it is necessary to set conditions (selecting the probe and the material to be processed, selecting the It is necessary to consider conditions for pressing the material.
[0007]
Next, as a relatively simple method that has attracted attention in recent years, there has been proposed a method using a local metamorphic effect on a conductive processing object using a scanning tunneling microscope (for example, Patent Document 2). reference). As an example actually reported, a voltage is applied between a conductive probe and a conductive thin film to be processed (a semiconductor thin film or a metal thin film on an insulating substrate, for example). Is locally oxidized to form an electrically insulating pattern, thereby making wirings and elements.
As a similar example, non-contact processing is also possible (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2).
In addition, as one type of electron beam lithography, an organic thin film for lithography is accumulated on a silicon substrate, and a pattern is formed by accessing and applying a bias with a probe (for example, Non-Patent Document 3). reference). Since a structure on the order of nanometers can be formed by using the above method, a device having a new function due to such a structure is being devised.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-10-340700 [Patent Document 2] JP-A-9-172213 [Non-Patent Document 1] R. Albrecht, J .; Appl. Phys. 69 (2) p. 668 [Non-patent document 2] APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS, Vol. 76, No. 23, p. 3427 [Non-patent document 3] THIN SOLID FILMS, 327-329, 690-693 [0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, observation and processing can be performed by the method of the probe microscope. However, when processing is performed using these methods, it is necessary to find a processing position. As a process for that,
・ Determine the processing area.
・ Understand the surface condition of the processing area.
・ Determine the machining start position.
・ Process.
・ Check whether the processing has been performed normally.
Is generally necessary.
[0010]
Therefore, when processing, it is necessary to observe the area many times. In addition, when observing the area, it is common to scan the probe over the sample surface by raster scanning and observe the whole area, and the traveling distance of the probe at that time is longer than the actual traveling distance for processing. It will be quite long. In processing and observation, it is necessary to minimize damage to the tip of the probe and the sample. Regarding the working process, there is no choice as to whether it is non-contact or contact depending on the method. It is very important to use at least non-contact, that is, non-contact AFM in the observation process in order to reduce damage to the probe and the sample.
[0011]
However, the non-contact method vibrates the probe at its resonance frequency and detects a change in the vibration state, as described above. There is a problem that processing stability is reduced. The amplitude is generally about 1 to 10 nm, but it is necessary to stop the vibration of such a probe when processing with high precision of less than nm. For this reason, even if the drive signal is turned off in a probe with a high Q value or in an environment with a low atmospheric pressure, the vibration does not easily subside due to its mechanical characteristics, and therefore processing cannot be started until the vibration stops. However, there is a problem that the processing throughput is deteriorated.
[0012]
Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described problems, and provides a scanning probe control device that can stably stop vibration of a probe in a short time and can quickly perform switching of restart of vibration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus, an observation apparatus, a method of exciting a probe, and a processing method using the same.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a scanning probe control device, a processing device and an observation device, a probe vibration method, and a processing method using the same, which are configured as follows.
The scanning probe control device of the present invention is a scanning probe control device having a probe that microvibrates at a resonance frequency and controls the tip of a conductive microtip in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface.
Vibrating means for microvibrating the probe at a resonance frequency,
Probe scanning means for scanning the probe against the sample surface,
Vibration frequency detection means for detecting the vibration frequency of the probe,
Distance control means for controlling the distance between the tip of the microprobe and the sample surface with reference to the frequency detected by the vibration frequency detection means,
A drive signal generation unit that generates a vibration drive signal for operating the vibration unit with reference to the frequency detected by the vibration frequency detection unit,
An excitation control unit that outputs a drive signal proportional to the amplitude of the probe and shifted in phase by controlling the phase shift unit and the amplification unit provided in the drive signal generation unit. .
Further, the processing apparatus of the present invention is a scanning type probe control apparatus having a probe that microvibrates at a resonance frequency and controls the tip of a conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface to be processed. A processing device configured to process the sample surface, comprising a scanning probe control device according to the present invention,
A voltage applying means for applying a voltage as a processing means is provided between the conductive probe and the sample.
Further, the probe vibration method of the present invention is a probe vibration method in which the vibrating means microvibrates at a resonance frequency and the tip of the conductive microprobe is controlled in non-contact with the sample surface. Receiving a timing signal and applying a predetermined phase shift to a drive signal applied to operate the vibrating means in accordance with the timing indicated by the timing signal, or adding a gain proportional to the amplitude of the probe vibration. And a step of holding the frequency of the drive signal.
Further, the processing method of the present invention is characterized in that the probe vibrates microscopically at a resonance frequency by vibrating means so as to control the tip of the conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface to be processed. A method of processing the sample surface using a method,
When a voltage is applied between the conductive probe and the sample to perform processing, the processing is performed by using any one of the steps in the above-described probe vibration method of the present invention.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
By using the above configuration, it is possible to stably stabilize the probe in a short time or restart the vibration when performing observation and processing using the observation means accompanied by the probe vibration during operation of the non-contact AFM or the like. Become. Therefore, if this is applied to the processing means, for example, it is possible to reduce the processing resolution such as the tip of the probe being shaken due to the vibration of the probe, and to shorten the time required for the probe to stabilize or to stabilize the vibration, thereby improving the processing throughput. Can be improved.
In addition, since processing can be performed with the probe stationary, in electrical processing, that is, processing using voltage or current, it is possible to stably supply voltage or current, and a more stable writing process can be realized.
[0015]
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a frequency detector, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a phase shifter and amplifier.
First, the observation operation will be described.
In FIG. 1, a probe 101 has conductivity and is disposed on a conductive cantilever 102. 103 is a processed sample having conductivity. The lever 102 is bonded to the vibration actuator 104 with a support member interposed therebetween. By vibrating the actuator, the vibration is transmitted to the cantilever 102, and the probe 101 at the tip vibrates. The vibration actuator 104 receives a drive signal from a frequency detection unit 108 described later in detail through a driver 109.
[0016]
On the other hand, for example, an optical lever method can be used to detect lever vibration. In this case, the laser light emitted from the laser 105 is applied to the tip of the lever, and the reflected light is detected by a photodetector 106 such as a four-division photodiode. A sensor signal (current) that varies depending on the position of the laser spot on the light receiving surface is output from the photodetector 106 to the preamplifier 107. The preamplifier 107 converts and amplifies the signal and sends it as a voltage signal to the subsequent frequency detection unit 108. Thus, the lever vibration is detected as an electric signal.
Upon detecting the frequency of the lever vibration, the frequency detector 108 adjusts the phase of the drive signal having the same frequency as the frequency and outputs the drive signal to the vibration actuator 104 through the driver 109. On the other hand, the detected frequency signal is output to the Z control unit 111 and the data processing unit 112 at the subsequent stage.
[0017]
The Z control unit 111 calculates a control signal for controlling the distance between the tip of the probe 101 and the surface of the sample 103 based on the received frequency signal, and applies the control signal to the XYZ stage 116 through the driver 113. The XYZ stage 116 is a stage capable of three-dimensionally positioning the sample by the XY scanning signal generated by the XY scanning controller 114 and the Z driving signal generated by the Z controller 111.
The data processing unit 112 is provided for performing AFM observation based on the frequency value from the frequency detection unit 108 or the control amount output from the Z control unit 111.
[0018]
Next, the inside of the frequency detection unit 108 will be described with reference to FIG.
Reference numeral 108 performs frequency detection by a PLL (Phase Locked Loop). The input signal is binarized through a comparator 201, converted into a pulse train having the same cycle as the probe vibration, and sent to a PLL unit at a subsequent stage.
In the PLL section, a feedback loop is formed by the phase comparator 202, the loop filter 203, and the oscillator 204. The output of the oscillator 204 is controlled and output in the same phase as the input pulse from the comparator 201.
[0019]
The pulse wave from the voltage oscillator 204 is sent again to the phase comparator 202 and used for feedback, and also sent to the phase shifter & amplifier 205. After the phase of the pulse wave is appropriately adjusted, an appropriate gain is applied according to the pulse peak value, and the pulse wave is sent to the band-pass filter 206 at the subsequent stage.
The band-pass filter 206 shapes the pulse wave into a shape close to a sine wave, and sends it to the vibration actuator 104 as a probe vibration signal. The phase adjustment and the peak value adjustment by the phase shifter & amplifier 205 are adjusted so that the cantilever 102 resonates at the resonance point. When the vibration is stable, the phase shift amount and the gain are constant. The above operation is performed during the non-contact AFM observation operation.
[0020]
Next, the case of the machining operation will be described.
Here, a method of applying a voltage to the surface to be processed by a probe will be described as a processing method. However, the processing method is not affected by the present invention even when processing is performed by another method such as cutting. . The probe 101 and the cantilever 102 have conductivity as described above, and are biased with respect to the sample 103 by a voltage signal from the probe bias applying unit 110.
[0021]
Here, it is desirable that the vibration of the probe is stopped when the processing bias is applied to the probe. However, as described above, even if the signal to the vibration actuator 104 is stopped, the probe that is a vibrating body may be immediately dependent on the situation. Do not stop. Therefore, the present invention is configured so that probe vibration can be stopped by driving the vibration actuator 104.
[0022]
Next, how they operate will be described.
The probe bias application unit 110 sends a control signal to the frequency detection unit 108 and the Z control unit 111 when applying a bias to the probe. The Z control unit 111 can use the timing signal to reduce the distance between the probe and the sample surface by a certain amount during processing. The control signal sent to the frequency detection unit 108 corresponds to the control signal in FIG. 2, but is input to the oscillator 204 and the phase shifter & amplifier 205.
[0023]
FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the phase shifter & amplifier 205. The inside includes a phase shifter 301 and an amplifier 302, a gain setting circuit 303 for setting the gain of the amplifier, and an amplitude detector 304. The control signal is input to the phase shifter 301 and the gain setting circuit 303. As the self-excited oscillation of the probe as described above takes place the phase shifter 301 during the observation operation, it is set to a constant shift amount theta _0. Here, when the control signal is input, the phase shifter 301 is configured to further change and output the fixed amount θa. Accordingly, the pulse train from the VCO is output from the phase shifter & amplifier as a signal whose phase is shifted by θa from the time of observation.
[0024]
As described in the description of the operation at the time of observation, the amplifier 302 adjusts the magnitude of the drive signal of the vibration actuator 104, and sets the peak value of the pulse train from the VCO. The magnitude of the gain is set by the gain setting circuit 303. In the case of the operation during observation, it is necessary to keep the amplitude of the drive signal constant in order to keep the excitation energy to the probe constant. Therefore, the gain of the amplifier 302 is fixed to a certain gain. When a control signal is input to the gain setting circuit 303, the gain setting circuit 303 is configured to set a gain in the amplifier 302 in proportion to the magnitude of the amplitude of the input signal detected by the amplitude detector 304. As a result, the output signal had a constant peak value due to the fixed gain at the time of observation, but when the control signal was input, the excitation actuator was driven by the output signal proportional to the actual lever amplitude. Become. In other words, when the amplitude of the probe is small, vibration is performed using a drive signal having a small amplitude and a phase shifted. As a result, the amplitude of the cantilever is rapidly attenuated, and when the vibration stops, the vibrator does not operate thereafter. Therefore, by applying a processing voltage to the probe during this time, the probe becomes stationary at the time of processing. When returning to the observation operation again, the probe oscillation system is re-established by returning the phase shift amount to θ ₀ and returning the gain to a constant value.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the control signal is also input to the oscillator 204 of the PLL unit.
[0025]
The inside of the oscillator 204 will be described with reference to FIG. The oscillator 204 is constituted by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 401. At the time of machining, an input voltage for determining the oscillation frequency of the VCO is sampled and held by a sample and hold circuit 403. With this setting, it becomes possible to rapidly raise the probe vibration at the end of the processing. Each operation timing will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. First, when the probe reaches the processing position, the control signal rises (ta).
This rising causes the sample-and-hold circuit 403 to operate and sample the current oscillator control signal. At this time, the switch 402 is open. Next, when the sample hold is completed, the probe operation in the Z direction is performed (tb). For example, an operation such as bringing the probe and the sample surface closer by a certain distance is performed. Then, after a fixed time (tc) when the position of the probe is stabilized, the application of the processing voltage is started. After the processing is completed (td), after a lapse of a predetermined time, the probe is returned to the position before processing (te).
[0026]
After a certain time (tf) when the position of the probe is considered to be stable (tf), the control signal is reset. At that timing, the switch 402 is turned on for a certain time (until tg), and the control held by the sample hold 403 is performed. The voltage is input to the voltage controlled oscillator 401, and a signal having the oscillation frequency before processing is sent to the next stage as an oscillator output. With the above configuration, when the distance between the probe and the sample surface returns from the processing position to the observation position, the excitation frequency of the previous observation position is output directly to the excitation actuator, enabling fast return. It becomes possible. Note that these timings may be managed in an analog manner using the time constant of the circuit or the like, or each timing may be synchronized with a clock as shown in FIG. 5, for example.
[0027]
【Example】
Next, examples of the present invention will be described.
Using a silicon cantilever of 100 μm in length, 10 μm in width, and 2 μm in thickness manufactured using a semiconductor process as a conductive lever, a Pt thin film is deposited on the probe surface by sputtering to obtain conductivity, and a probe thereon. A Pt-shaped conical structure having a height of about 10 μm was formed by the Spindt method. A mechanical shock was applied to this probe, and it was 300 kHz when measured with a spectrum analyzer. Since the Q value in the atmosphere was about 400, it was improved to about 10,000 by reducing the pressure to about 10 ⁻³ Torr during processing.
SPM lithography was performed using a resist thin film (PMPMA; polymethylphenyl methacrylate) accumulated on silicon as a sample to be processed. A pattern was formed by applying about 20 V (positive to the substrate) between the probe and the silicon wafer as the substrate.
[0028]
The setting of the other circuit parts is as follows.
A commercially available general-purpose PLL (for example, 4046 or the like) was used as the phase comparator in FIG. 2, and a high-precision oscillator was configured by dividing the frequency of a crystal oscillator or the like as the oscillator in FIG. The amplifier in FIG. 3 can be easily realized by using a device whose gain can be changed by an external resistance change (for example, OPA660 [Texas Instruments]) and using a MOS transistor device as a variable resistor.
[0029]
Also, the phase shifter is generally a device whose phase can be set by a variable resistor, and it is sufficiently possible to have a phase change by switching a resistance value using an analog switch or the like. The amplitude detector can be realized by using the peak voltage by the peak hold. At this time, the setting of the hold time is important. In the case of this embodiment, since the lever vibration is about 300 kHz, the time is set to about that time. By doing so, it is considered that the amplitude of one peak of the vibration can be captured, and the vibration can be attenuated faster. If this portion is long, the time until stopping the probe vibration becomes long. In addition, 180 ° was used as the phase shift amount θa. The setting of the shift amount also affects the time required for stopping the probe vibration.
[0030]
When a predetermined pattern figure is processed by the above setting, the processing time is reduced and the processing is stabilized. The time from the stop of the probe vibration and the time from the stop to the vibration stabilization are each 10% or less of the case where the present invention is not used, and are used for processing such as forming a pattern composed of many fine structures. This is very useful for patterns in which the processing position search is frequently switched.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the structure of this invention, the vibration of a probe can be stably stopped in a short time, and the control apparatus of the scanning probe which can switch the restart of a vibration quickly can be performed. A method or an observation device can be realized.
In addition, by using the above-described scanning probe control device and probe excitation method of the present invention in the processing apparatus and the processing method, the vibration of the probe can be stably stopped in a short time during the processing, and the processing can be started. And the throughput can be significantly improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a frequency detector according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a phase shifter & amplifier according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an oscillator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining operation timing of each unit according to a control signal in the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
101: Probe 102: Cantilever 103: Processing sample 104: Vibration actuator 105: Laser 106: Photodetector 107: Preamplifier 108: Frequency detection unit 109: Driver 110: Probe bias application unit 111: Z control unit 112: Data processing Unit 113: Driver 114: XY scanning control unit 116: XYZ stage 201: Comparator 202: Phase comparator 203: Filter 204: Oscillator 205: Phase shifter & amplifier 206: Band pass filter 301: Phase shifter 302: Amplifier 303: Gain setting Circuit 304: Amplitude detector 401: Voltage controlled oscillator 402: Switch 403: Hold 404: Switch controller

Claims (11)

In a scanning probe control device having a probe that microvibrates at the resonance frequency and controls the tip of the conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface,
Vibrating means for microvibrating the probe at a resonance frequency,
Probe scanning means for scanning the probe against the sample surface,
Vibration frequency detection means for detecting the vibration frequency of the probe,
Distance control means for controlling the distance between the tip of the microprobe and the sample surface with reference to the frequency detected by the vibration frequency detection means,
A drive signal generation unit that generates a vibration drive signal for operating the vibration unit with reference to the frequency detected by the vibration frequency detection unit,
By controlling the phase shift means and the amplification means provided in the drive signal generation means, a vibration control means for outputting a drive signal proportional to the amplitude of the probe and shifted in phase,
A control device for a scanning probe, comprising: 2. The scanning probe control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said excitation control means has means for controlling a phase shift amount of an excitation signal in said phase shift means and an amplification degree in said amplification means. . The vibration frequency detecting means has a phase locked loop (PLL) for detecting a vibration frequency, and the vibration means operates using a signal output from an oscillator in the phase locked loop. The control device for a scanning probe according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises: 4. The scanning probe control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said excitation control means includes frequency holding means for holding an oscillation frequency of an oscillator in said phase locked loop. 5. A control device for a scanning probe having a probe that microvibrates at a resonance frequency and controls a tip of a conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to a sample surface to be processed. A processing device configured to process the sample surface, comprising a scanning probe control device according to the above,
A processing apparatus, comprising: a voltage applying unit that applies a voltage as a processing unit between the conductive probe and the sample. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the vibration control means is configured to operate in accordance with processing timing, and to control a phase shift amount and the amplification degree of the vibration signal. An observation device that observes the sample surface by providing a scanning probe control device that has a probe that vibrates microscopically at the resonance frequency and controls the tip of the conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with the sample surface to be observed An observation device, wherein the control device for the scanning probe is constituted by the control device for a scanning probe according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A probe vibration method that vibrates microscopically at a resonance frequency by vibrating means and controls the tip of a conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface. A step of giving a predetermined phase shift to a drive signal applied to operate the vibrating means in accordance with the timing indicated by the signal. A probe vibration method that vibrates microscopically at a resonance frequency by vibrating means and controls the tip of a conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface. A step of applying a gain proportional to the amplitude of the probe vibration to a drive signal applied to operate the vibrating means in accordance with the timing indicated by the signal. A probe vibration method that vibrates microscopically at a resonance frequency by vibrating means and controls the tip of a conductive microprobe in a non-contact manner with respect to the sample surface. A method of vibrating a probe, comprising: a step of holding a frequency of a drive signal applied to operate the vibrating means in accordance with a timing indicated by a signal. The sample surface is processed by using a probe vibration method in which the vibrating means microvibrates at the resonance frequency and the tip of the conductive microprobe is controlled to be in non-contact with the sample surface to be processed. Processing method,
When applying a voltage between the conductive probe and the sample to perform processing, processing is performed using the steps in the probe vibration method according to any one of claims 8 to 10. And processing method.

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