JP2005156202A - Cantilever for scanning type probe microscope, and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cantilever for an SPM having a probe part with a sharpened tip part without affecting a lever part and enabling high resolution measurement at a high aspect ratio, and provide a manufacturing method therefor. <P>SOLUTION: This microscope comprises a support part 1, the lever part 2 extended form the support part, and the probe part 3 formed in a free end side of the lever part. In the probe part, an angle change part of the first stage is formed in a joining part 5 with the lever part, an angle change part of the second stage is formed in an intermediate part 6 of the probe part, and the cantilever for the SPM is constituted to form a shape curved to a support part side in a midway to the tip part 4 of the probe part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cantilever used for a scanning probe microscope (SPM) such as an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a method for manufacturing the cantilever.

  In recent years, in SPM such as AFM, a cantilever having a high resonance frequency and a small spring constant has been demanded, particularly for use in measuring and drawing a biomolecule in a liquid at high speed. As an example of such a cantilever, there is a cantilever as shown in Japanese Patent No. 2998494. The cantilever disclosed in this publication will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, in this cantilever, the probe portion 102 is formed at a certain angle at the free end of the lever portion 101 extending from the support portion 103, and the shape thereof is a triangular flat plate shape. It is a cantilever with a beak shape. The bird's beak-shaped cantilever has a structure in which the probe portion 102 protrudes from the lever portion surface.

The probe part having the above bird's beak shape is flat and lightweight compared to the probe part (bulk probe part) of a pyramidal block, when the resonance frequency is high and the spring constant is small as a short thin cantilever In addition, it is an advantageous shape. In addition, since the probe portion is positioned at the forefront of the cantilever, the AFM combined with the optical microscope is a sample that performs AFM measurement while observing the measurement site and the probe portion of the sample with the optical microscope. There is an advantage that the probe portion can be positioned in a short time and measurement can be started.
Japanese Patent No. 2984094

  By the way, in order to perform AFM measurement with high resolution, the tip of the probe part needs to be sharp, and when observing an extremely fine groove, the probe part needs to be thin and long. is there. However, a conventional cantilever having a bird's beak-shaped probe has the following problems. First, when forming the bird's beak-shaped probe portion, it is fabricated using the plane orientation of silicon. That is, using the (111) surface having an inclination of about 55 degrees with the surface (100) of the lever portion, a plate-shaped probe portion is fabricated on the (111) surface. Furthermore, in the conventional method for manufacturing a bird's beak type probe part, it has been difficult to produce a radius of curvature of 50 nm or less by batch fabrication. Moreover, it is difficult to increase the aspect ratio of the tip of the probe portion. When such a cantilever is mounted on an AFM apparatus, the support surface is generally inclined at about 10 degrees. When mounted in this way, as shown in FIG. 14, when measuring a sample 110 having a deep and narrow recess 111, the probe unit 102 cannot accurately grasp the sample surface, and the curvature radius is also high. The resolution cannot be measured. Therefore, for high-resolution measurement, it is preferable that the tip portion of the probe portion having a high aspect ratio has the smallest possible radius of curvature and is as perpendicular as possible to the surface of the lever portion.

  In general, a method using dry etching of silicon so that the tip portion of the probe portion is perpendicular to the surface of the lever portion is also conceivable, but in this case, the vertical processing surface becomes rough. Therefore, it is difficult to form a fine and sharp probe portion. Furthermore, it is difficult to apply and expose a resist film on the vertical surface, and there remains a problem that a pattern having a sharp tip with a small curvature radius cannot be formed.

  Furthermore, there is a method of mechanically bending a region of several μm in length at the tip of a small cantilever probe part from the silicon (111) surface, but it is difficult to bend itself and the directionality cannot be controlled. It cannot be bent with a good yield due to damage or the like. Moreover, in mechanical bending, the cost is increased by processing one piece or one piece.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a cantilever having a probe portion having a sharp tip and capable of high-resolution measurement with a high aspect ratio without affecting the lever portion. For the purpose. It is another object of the present invention to provide a low-cost method for manufacturing a cantilever for SPM that can sharpen the tip of the probe by batch fabrication.

  The purpose of each claim is to provide a cantilever for SPM having a probe portion with a sharpened tip and capable of high resolution measurement with a high aspect ratio. An object of the present invention is to provide an SPM cantilever having a sharpened tip, a high aspect ratio and high resolution measurement, a reduced mass, and a strong probe portion. . The invention according to claim 3 is to provide a method for manufacturing a cantilever for SPM, including an optimal method for manufacturing the tip of the probe portion. The present invention according to claims 4 and 5 aims to provide an optimum manufacturing method of a cantilever for SPM.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 has a lever portion and a probe portion made of silicon nitride, and the probe portion is formed of a substantially triangular plate body. The probe portion is characterized in that the substantially triangular plate body has at least two or more angle changing portions including a contact portion with the lever portion.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to realize an SPM cantilever having a tip portion that is sharpened and has a probe portion capable of high resolution measurement with a high aspect ratio.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to the first aspect, the probe portion of the substantially triangular plate body is characterized in that two sides sandwiching the tip are curved inward. To do.

  By adopting such a configuration, an SPM cantilever having a probe portion that has a sharp tip and capable of high-resolution measurement with a high aspect ratio while maintaining the strength without causing a decrease in resonance frequency is realized. It becomes possible.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to the first or second aspect, wherein the tip portion of the probe portion is sharpened and the temperature changing portion of the probe portion is formed at a low temperature thermal oxidation step. It is characterized by including at least.

  With such a manufacturing method, the tip of the probe portion can be sharpened and the angle changing portion of the probe portion can be easily formed in a low temperature thermal oxidation process.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to the third aspect, the method includes the step of simultaneously patterning and forming the probe portion and the lever portion. is there.

  By adopting such a manufacturing method, the tip of the probe part can be sharpened without causing a positional shift between the probe part and the lever part, and the process can be shortened and the cost can be reduced.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the method of manufacturing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to claim 3, characterized in that it includes a step of separately patterning and forming the probe portion and the lever portion. It is.

  By adopting such a manufacturing method, it is possible to prevent a warp of the lever portion, and even when a laser is irradiated on a minute lever portion, an SPM cantilever that can sufficiently return reflected light to the light receiving portion easily. Can be manufactured.

  According to the present invention, the tip portion of the probe portion can be configured to bend toward the fixed end direction of the lever portion by two or more angle changing portions from a substantially flat plate direction. The direction of the tip is almost vertical, enabling measurement with high resolution. Providing a cantilever manufacturing method that can more efficiently sharpen the tip of a probe part that requires a sharpness even though it is a silicon nitride film, to the free end of a very thin and soft lever part A sharpened probe portion having a high aspect ratio can be easily produced. Also, by using a manufacturing method that does not affect the lever part due to the local oxidation treatment used to sharpen the probe part, it is possible to avoid warping of the lever part surface and efficiently return the laser reflected light to the light receiving surface. A possible SPM cantilever can be obtained.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the invention will be described.

  First, a first embodiment of an SPM cantilever according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the entire structure of the lever portion and the probe portion of the SPM cantilever according to the first embodiment. 2A, 2B, and 2C show the shape of the probe portion viewed from directions A to C of the SPM cantilever shown in FIG. 2A shows a view seen from the upper direction A, FIG. 2B shows a view seen from the lateral direction B, and FIG. 2C shows a view seen from the front direction C. Show.

  In FIG. 1, a probe portion 3 is formed on the free end side of the lever portion 2 extending from the support portion 1. Here, the probe portion 3 is constituted by a substantially triangular plate formed on the free end side of the lever portion 2, and the tip portion 4 of the probe portion 3 is located at the free end of the lever portion 2. The probe portion 3 has a shape in which a first-stage angle change portion is formed in the joint portion 5 with the lever portion 2, and a second-stage angle change portion is further formed in the intermediate portion 6 of the probe portion 3. It has become. Furthermore, the tip portion 4 of the probe portion 3 has a sharp shape so that the apex angle is about 10 degrees. That is, the probe portion 3 has a shape further bent toward the support portion 1 in the middle of the tip portion 4.

  Next, an embodiment of the method for manufacturing the SPM cantilever according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described based on the manufacturing process diagrams shown in FIGS. First, for forming a step for forming a probe portion on a (100) silicon substrate 11 having an orientation flat in the normal <011> direction as shown in FIG. A mask 12 is formed. Here, a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, or the like is suitable as the mask material.

  Next, wet anisotropic etching is performed with an alkaline aqueous solution such as KOH (potassium hydroxide) or TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), and a step 13 as shown in FIG. Form.

Next, after removing the mask 12, as shown in FIG. 3C, a silicon nitride film 14 is deposited by a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LP-CVD) method. To remove the mask 12, a hydrofluoric acid solution is suitable when a silicon oxide film is used as the mask 12, and hot phosphoric acid is suitable when a silicon nitride film is used. The silicon nitride film 14 is a silicon nitride film having a silicon content higher than that of a normal silicon nitride film (Si ₃ N ₄ ), and the ratio of the flow rate of dichlorosilane and ammonia at the time of deposition is made higher than the normal ratio. Can be achieved. Here, in order to produce a cantilever having a resonance frequency of 1 MHz and a spring constant of 0.1 N / m, a silicon nitride film having a thickness of 0.1 μm is deposited.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, the probe portion 15 and the lever portion 16 are patterned on the silicon nitride film 14. In patterning the probe section 15, the deposited silicon nitride film 14 is aligned by photolithography using two masks so that the mask intersection is the apex angle of the tip of the probe section. Triangular patterning is performed on the slope of the step 13 so that the angle is about 10 degrees. The mode at this time is shown in FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, one side of the probe portion and the lever portion is formed using the first mask pattern 21. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, using the second mask pattern 22, the apex angle α of the tip of the probe portion formed by the overlapping portion of the two mask patterns 21 and 22 is Then, patterning is performed so as to be about 10 degrees. Subsequently, the silicon nitride film 14 is etched by, for example, RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) to form the probe portion 15 and the lever portion 16. Further, the tip portion of the probe portion 15 only needs to have a small radius of curvature as much as possible. For example, if the radius of curvature is about 100 nm, a sufficiently small radius of curvature can be obtained in the subsequent steps.

  Next, an oxidation process for sharpening the probe portion 15 is performed. This process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, after the formation of the probe portion 15 and the lever portion 16 by the patterning of the silicon nitride film 14, low temperature thermal oxidation is performed in a steam atmosphere. Here, the low temperature thermal oxidation is preferably about 950 ° C. for about 500 minutes. By this low temperature thermal oxidation, the tip part 15a of the probe part 15 is more likely to be oxidized at the interface between the silicon substrate 11 and the probe part 15 made of a silicon nitride film because oxygen is more easily supplied. Therefore, the tip portion 15a of the probe portion 15 made of a silicon nitride film on the silicon substrate surface is further oxidized, the silicon nitride film thickness at the top portion is reduced, and the tip portion 15a of the probe portion 15 is formed in a sharp and sharp shape. be able to. At the same time, the tip portion 15a of the probe portion 15 extends from the middle to the fixed end direction of the lever portion 16 due to the stress caused by the local oxidation portion 23 formed at the interface between the silicon substrate 11 and the probe portion 15 made of the silicon nitride film. To be bent. This aspect is shown in FIG.

  Next, when the local oxidation part 23 is removed by hydrofluoric acid or the like, the shape shown in FIG. That is, the tip portion 15 a of the probe portion 15 is sharpened and is bent from the middle of the probe portion 15 to the fixed end side of the lever portion 16. This completes the formation of the tip portion 15a of the probe portion 15. However, if low-temperature thermal oxidation is performed again in the state shown in FIG. 5C, the position where the local oxidation portion 23 occurs is the root of the probe portion 15. By shifting to the portion, the tip portion 15a of the probe portion 15 can be further bent as shown in FIG. Here, the probe portion 15 is bent at the positions A and B. In FIGS. 5C and 5D, reference numeral 13a denotes the original step surface of the silicon substrate 11. Thereafter, if the local oxidation portion 23 is removed by etching with a hydrofluoric acid-based solution and further subjected to low-temperature thermal oxidation, the probe portion 15 can be further bent. The thermal oxidation temperature and the oxidation time are determined by the shape and film thickness of the tip portion 15a of the sharpened triangular probe portion 15, the thermal oxidation temperature is preferably 900 ° C. or higher and 1050 ° C. or lower, and the oxidation time is preferably 10 minutes or longer. In this case, the sharpening effect and the formation effect of the local oxidation portion appear simultaneously and significantly.

  After the low-temperature thermal oxidation treatment, as shown in FIG. 3E, a surface protective film 17 that can sufficiently withstand an alkaline etching solution is formed on the probe portion and the lever portion made of the oxidized silicon nitride film. Next, as shown in FIG. 3F, a mask pattern 18 for forming a support portion is formed on the back surface of the silicon substrate 11. As shown in FIG. 3G, for example, anisotropic etching is performed on the silicon substrate 11 from the side opposite to the side on which the probe portion 15 is formed using an alkaline etching solution typified by KOH. Then, a support portion 19 that holds the cantilever is formed. After that, when the surface protective film on the silicon nitride film and other silicon substrates constituting the probe part and the lever part is removed with a hydrofluoric acid solution, the patterning of the silicon nitride film only by the first photolithography is performed to 100 nm. The curvature radius of the tip portion of the probe portion 15 that is about is sharpened to 20 nm or less. Finally, as shown in FIG. 3H, a reflective film 20 is formed on the lever surface opposite to the direction in which the probe portion 15 is formed. The reflective film 20 is formed, for example, by vapor deposition of gold. Through the above steps, the SPM cantilever 10 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

  According to the cantilever for SPM configured as described above, the tip portion is sharpened, a probe portion having a high aspect ratio can be realized, and the tip portion bends toward the fixed end of the lever portion, and the sample surface and Since they can be opposed substantially vertically, it is possible to perform high-resolution measurement even with a sample 110 having deep irregularities as shown in FIG. In addition, the mass of the probe portion is also reduced, and a decrease in resonance frequency can be prevented.

  In addition, since a series of processes enables a cantilever manufacturing method by so-called batch fabrication in which a plurality of cantilevers are manufactured at once, it is possible to manufacture the probe part and the lever part in particular without causing positional deviation. Cost reduction can be realized.

  In the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, RIE is used for etching the silicon nitride film, but the present invention is not limited to this, and wet etching such as hot phosphoric acid may be used. In this embodiment, an anisotropic etching solution represented by KOH was used to perform anisotropic etching from the side opposite to the probe portion forming side to form a support portion for holding the cantilever. Of course, the support portion may be formed using another dry etcher such as Deep-RIE, and it is needless to say that a processing method combining dry etching and wet etching may be used. In this embodiment, two masks are used for patterning the probe portion and the lever portion. However, it goes without saying that patterning may be performed using one mask.

  Furthermore, the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is characterized by local oxidation performed in the sharpening process, and can basically be applied to the production of other forms of cantilevers as long as the probe portion is made of silicon nitride. It is. For example, even if the probe part is a cantilever made of silicon nitride and the lever part is made of single crystal silicon, the single crystal silicon part can be covered with a protective mask to sharpen only the silicon nitride probe part. It is. When applied to such a cantilever, it is easy to realize a thick lever portion made of single crystal silicon, and a cantilever that requires a large spring constant and a high resonance frequency can be realized.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The structure of the lever part and the probe part of the cantilever for SPM according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 8A to 8C show the shapes of the SPM cantilever shown in FIG. 7 viewed from the directions A to C. FIG. 8A shows a view seen from the upper direction A, FIG. 8B shows a view seen from the lateral direction B, and FIG. 8C shows a view seen from the front direction C. ing. In FIG. 7, a probe portion 32 is formed on the free end side of the lever portion 31 extending from the support portion. Here, the probe portion 32 is located on the free end side of the lever portion 31, and the tip portion 33 of the probe portion 32 is directed substantially perpendicular to the lever portion 31. The two sides 32a and 32b sandwiching the tip 33 of the probe 32 are curved inward, and the apex angle of the tip 33 of the probe 32 has a sharp shape of about 10 degrees. Furthermore, the length of the probe portion 32 is shorter than that of the cantilever according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The probe portion 32 forms a first-stage angle change portion at the joint portion 34 in contact with the lever portion 31 and further forms a second-stage angle change portion at the intermediate portion 35 to form a bent shape. Yes.

  Next, an example of the manufacturing process of the SPM cantilever according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The steps from forming the step 42 on the silicon substrate 41 to forming a predetermined silicon nitride film 43 (corresponding to (C) in FIG. 3) are the same as in the first embodiment. Next, as shown in FIG. 9A, a triangular resist pattern having two sides curved inward so that the apex angle of the mask becomes about 10 degrees with respect to the deposited silicon nitride film 43 by photolithography. And only the probe portion 44 is formed. Here, around the probe portion 44, the silicon nitride film 43 is removed by etching to form a region 45 where the silicon substrate 41 is exposed. FIG. 9B shows a cross section taken along line XX ′ of FIG. The width of the exposed region 45 of the silicon substrate 41 is preferably about 2 to 5 μm.

  The patterning of the probe portion 44 is performed using a mask as shown in FIG. The mask pattern here is characterized by having a pattern 52 that exposes the silicon surface around the probe portion pattern 51. At this time, the tip of the probe portion 44 only needs to have a small radius of curvature as much as possible. For example, if the radius of curvature is about 100 nm, a sufficiently small radius of curvature can be obtained in the subsequent steps.

  Next, a sharpening oxidation process is performed on the tip of the probe unit 44. The sharpening oxidation treatment at the tip of the probe unit 44 is exactly the same as in the first embodiment, and the tip of the probe unit 44 is formed into a thin and sharp shape and is arbitrarily bent from the middle of the probe unit 44. Is possible.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, patterning is performed only on the silicon nitride film 43 in the lever portion forming region to form the lever portion 46. The mask pattern at this time is shown in FIG. In FIG. 10B, 53 is a pattern of the lever part, and 54 is a pattern for protecting the probe part 44 already formed. Here, it should be noted that the probe portion protection pattern 54 is made larger than the actual probe portion 44 so that the sharpened probe portion 44 is not patterned again. Thereafter, the cantilever is completed by the same process as in the first embodiment.

  In the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, the patterning and formation of the probe portion and the lever portion are separate steps, and this is for the following reason. As shown in FIG. 12 showing a cross section along the line YY ′ of FIGS. 11 and 11, after the probe portion 61 and the lever portion 62 are formed simultaneously, the tip portion of the probe portion 61 is sharpened. When the low temperature thermal oxidation process is performed, the edge portion 62a of the lever portion 62 is locally oxidized to form the local oxidation portion 63, and the edge portion 62a of the lever portion 62 is warped. In the second embodiment, in order to prevent the warp of the lever portion, as described above, the patterning and formation of the probe portion and the lever portion are separate processes, and the patterning and formation of the probe portion are first performed. The tip is sharpened, and then the lever is patterned and formed. In this way, there is no low-temperature thermal oxidation process after the lever portion is formed, and the lever portion is not warped.

  According to the cantilever for SPM configured as described above, similarly to the cantilever according to the first embodiment, the tip portion is sharpened, a probe portion having a high aspect ratio can be realized, and the fixed end of the lever portion is further provided. Since the tip bends in the direction and can be opposed almost perpendicularly to the sample surface, high-resolution measurement is possible. In addition, the mass of the probe portion is also reduced, and a decrease in resonance frequency can be prevented.

  In addition, since a series of processes enables a cantilever manufacturing method by so-called batch fabrication in which a plurality of cantilevers are manufactured at once, it is possible to manufacture the probe part and the lever part in particular without causing positional deviation. Cost reduction can be realized.

  Furthermore, since the lever part is formed after the low temperature thermal oxidation process at the time of forming the probe part, local oxidation at the low temperature thermal oxidation process does not occur in the lever part, and the warp of the lever part can be eliminated and the lever part surface is Always flat. Therefore, in the AFM measurement of a minute cantilever, the laser light returns accurately to the light receiving surface, and accurate measurement is possible. Furthermore, although the tip of the probe portion has an acute angle, since the length of the probe portion is not so long, noise generated when the vibration of the lever portion is transmitted to the probe portion can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the patterning of the probe portion is performed using one mask, but it is needless to say that the patterning may be performed using two masks as in the first embodiment.

  Further, it goes without saying that the manufacturing method in which the probe portion and the lever portion are formed in separate steps as described in the present embodiment can be applied to the cantilever manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. That is, after forming only the probe portion using two masks, the tip portion may be sharpened and oxidized, and then the lever portion may be formed. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a shape in which both sides of the substantially triangular probe portion are curved inward is used. However, as in the first embodiment, a substantially triangular mask is used, and the intersection point is the tip of the probe portion. It is also possible to use the method of setting the apex angle of the part.

It is a whole perspective view which shows the structure of Example 1 of the cantilever for SPM which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic seen from each direction of A, B, C of the cantilever for SPM which concerns on Example 1 shown in FIG. It is a manufacturing process figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the cantilever for SPM which concerns on Example 1 shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the patterning of the probe part by two masks with respect to a silicon nitride film. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sharpening oxidation process process of the front-end | tip part of the probe part in the manufacturing process shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the measurement aspect of the uneven | corrugated sample surface using the cantilever for SPM which concerns on Example 1 shown in FIG. It is a partially-omission perspective view which shows the structure of Example 2 of the cantilever for SPM which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic seen from each direction of A, B, C of the cantilever for SPM which concerns on Example 2 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a manufacturing process diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the SPM cantilever according to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows the mask pattern for forming the probe part and lever part in the manufacturing process shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the aspect at the time of performing the low-temperature thermal oxidation process for sharpening of the front-end | tip part of a probe part after forming a probe part and a lever part simultaneously. FIG. 12 is a view showing a cross section taken along line YY ′ of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the conventional cantilever for SPM. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a measurement mode of an uneven sample surface by the conventional SPM cantilever shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Support part 2 Lever part 3 Probe part 4 Tip part of probe part 5 Joint part of lever part and probe part 6 Intermediate part of probe part
10 Cantilever
11 Silicon substrate
12 Step forming mask
13 steps
13a Original step surface of silicon substrate
14 Silicon nitride film
15 Probe section
15a Tip of tip
16 Lever section
17 Surface protective film
18 Support part forming mask pattern
19 Support part
20 Reflective film
21 First mask pattern
22 Second mask pattern
23 Local oxidation part
31 Lever section
32 Probe unit
32a, 32b Two sides sandwiching the tip
33 Tip
34 Joint
35 Middle part
41 Silicon substrate
42 steps
43 Silicon nitride film
44 Probe unit
45 Silicon substrate exposed area
46 Lever section
51 Probe pattern
52 Silicon surface exposure pattern
53 Lever pattern
54 Probe protection pattern
61 Probe unit
62 Lever part
62a Lever edge
63 Local oxidation part
110 samples

Claims (5)

  In a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope having a lever portion and a probe portion made of silicon nitride, and the probe portion is configured by a substantially triangular plate body, the probe portion is formed by the substantially triangular plate body. A cantilever for a scanning probe microscope comprising at least two or more angle changing portions including a contact portion with the lever portion.   2. The cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to claim 1, wherein the probe portion of the substantially triangular plate body has two sides that curve the tip end portion curved inward.   3. The method of manufacturing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a low-temperature thermal oxidation step for sharpening a tip portion of the probe portion and forming an angle changing portion of the probe portion. A method for producing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope.   4. The method of manufacturing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to claim 3, comprising the step of simultaneously patterning and forming the probe portion and the lever portion.   4. The method for manufacturing a cantilever for a scanning probe microscope according to claim 3, further comprising a step of separately patterning and forming the probe portion and the lever portion.

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