JPH10170413A - Sample holder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sample holder which is not displaced by outside force even with light cylindrical sample, by fixing the cylindrical sample with sure for stable holding. SOLUTION: Relating to a sample holder 1, a V block 4 is provided inside an opening 3 formed on the upper surface of a base body 2, and a sample is held on the V block 4. At one end part of the V block 4, in the direction across the V block 4, a fixing wall 11 is provided, and at the other end part of the V block 4, a moving wall 12 comprising a coil spring 13 which biases the sample toward the fixing wall 11, is provide. Into the coil spring 13, supporting rod 15 whose one end is fixed to the rear surface of the moving wall 12 and the other end inserted in a supporting rod slide hole 14 while free movement allowed, is inserted. Thereby, the sample is surely fixed for stable holding, so dislocation is prevented even with a light sample. Thus, using such measurement instrument as a scanning prove microscope, etc., measurement precision is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sample holder, and more particularly to a sample holder that can stably hold and fix a sample when measuring the surface of the sample using a measuring device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an apparatus for measuring the surface shape and physical quantity of a sample, the sample is usually fixed to a sample holder in advance in order to facilitate the handling of the sample. 2. Description of the Related Art A sample holder suitable for fixing a sample in the shape of a plate has been conventionally known.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional sample holder and a sample stage for fixing the sample holder. As shown in FIG. 5, the sample holder 10 has an opening 3
And a V-shaped inclined surface 4 (hereinafter, referred to as a V block) formed at an angle of 45 ° is provided in the center of the inside of the opening 3. A plurality of screw holes 5 are formed on the upper surface of the base 2. Sample stage 6
Has an opening having substantially the same shape as the opening 3 of the sample holder 10, and a screw hole 7 is formed at the same position as the screw hole 5 of the sample holder 10. The sample holder 10 is mounted below the sample stage 6 via an O-ring 8, and is fixed by screwing a screw 9 into the screw holes 7 and 5 from above the sample stage 6. The cylindrical sample is used upright by its own weight with its outer peripheral surface abutting on the V-block 4. The flat portion on the left side of the upper surface of the sample stage 6 is used, for example, when a sample having a flat bottom surface is placed and measured.

Such a sample holder 10 is suitably used for holding a cylindrical sample, for example, a magnetic head drum in which a magnetic head is fixed to a cylindrical rotating drum. Currently, magnetic heads are widely used in video cameras, VTRs, and the like. However, the magnetic force measurement has been put into practical use with a scanning probe microscope, and in addition to the shape information of the sliding surface, a magnetic information measurement request has been required. Is growing.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a magnetic head drum used in a video camera. The magnetic head drum 20 is configured such that, for example, five magnetic heads 22 for recording / reproducing and erasing are screwed to one surface of a metal drum 21. The sliding surface 23 of the magnetic head 22 slightly protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the metal drum 21, is located about 1 mm from the outer edge of the metal drum 21, and comes into contact with a recording medium such as a magnetic tape. Although the metal drum 21 is cylindrical in appearance, the metal drum 2
The other surface of 1 is secured as a space for installing a motor and wiring, and about half in the thickness direction is hollow.

Meanwhile, the sample holder 10 shown in FIG.
In this method, the outer peripheral surface of the sample is brought into contact with the V block 4 and the sample is fixed by its own weight. Therefore, the sample
It is necessary to have a weight that can withstand various vibration factors externally received from the time when the sample holder 10 is attached to the time when the measurement is completed. However, the magnetic head drum 20, which is currently the main use of the sample holder 10, is
Since both the material and the shape are very light, there has been a problem that, when the material is fixed by its own weight, it moves easily due to micro-vibration and its position shifts.

Hereinafter, the problem will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows a scanning probe microscope (SPM: Scanning Probe Micro) that three-dimensionally displays information such as the uneven shape of the sample surface, magnetic force, and frictional force.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram when measuring the unevenness of the sliding surface of the magnetic head by Scope). The sample (magnetic head drum 20) is held by the sample holder 10 shown in FIG. 5, and set on a stage table (both not shown) on a vibration isolating table installed below the cantilever 34.

The scanning probe microscope 30 includes a control unit 31
By setting the output frequency of the frequency synthesizer 32 and vibrating the vibrator of the piezo scanner 33 with the output frequency, the cantilever 34 is vibrated near the resonance frequency. When the probe 35 of the vibrated cantilever 34 scans the sample surface and approaches a convex portion of the sample surface, the amplitude of the cantilever 34 decreases. On the other hand, a laser beam is irradiated from the laser light source 36 on the back surface of the cantilever 34, and the reflected light is made incident on the photodetector 37, and the amplitude of the cantilever 34 is read as the displacement of the laser light incident on the photodetector 37. , Is input to the amplitude detector 38. That is, the amplitude of the cantilever 34 is detected by the amplitude detector 38, the detected value is compared with a reference value for determining the tap force, and a difference signal between the two is fed back to the control unit 31.
By controlling the amplitude in the Z-axis direction of No. 3, the amplitude of the cantilever 34 is kept constant. Further, raster scanning is also performed in the X and Y axis directions, and a three-dimensional uneven image of the sample surface is drawn based on the X, Y and Z axis control signals.

When measuring the magnetic head 22 with such a scanning probe microscope 30, the sliding surface 23 of the magnetic head
Is required to be directed upward (to be horizontal).
This position adjustment is performed by temporarily removing the sample holder 10 and the sample stage 6 from the stage base of the scanning probe microscope 30 and
The magnetic head drum 20 is attached to the V block 4 of the sample holder 10.
And under a light microscope. But then
It was confirmed that the sample was easily moved by the vibration received from the outside before the sample holder 10 and the sample stage 6 were set on the stage table of the scanning probe microscope 30. Also, even after the sample holder 10 is set on the stage base, the vibration isolating base is erroneously shaken to move the sample, or the distortion or noise that seems to have moved during the measurement by the scanning probe microscope 30 is measured. Occasions in the data were also recognized.

As described above, even if a sample holder 10 suitable for a cylindrical sample is used, a sample having a cylindrical shape, such as the magnetic head drum 20, cannot be reliably fixed. It has to be repeated and it is difficult to measure the sample with high accuracy.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to stabilize the holding of a cylindrical sample by securely fixing it, and to displace even a lightweight cylindrical sample due to an external force. An object of the present invention is to provide a sample holder that does not need to be mounted.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sample holder according to the present invention has a V-shaped inclined surface inside an opening formed on an upper surface of a base, and the V-shaped inclined surface has In a sample holder for holding a sample, a fixed wall is provided at one end of the V-shaped inclined surface in a direction intersecting with the V-shaped inclined surface, and the sample is fixed at the other end of the V-shaped inclined surface. A moving wall having an urging means such as a coil spring for urging in the direction of the wall is provided. Here, the direction intersecting with the V-shaped inclined surface refers to a direction intersecting the direction in which a pair of V-shaped inclined surfaces oppose each other. Further, it is preferable that one end of the coil spring is fixed to the rear surface of the moving wall, and the other end of the support rod is loosely fitted to the base.

According to the sample holder having the above structure, the sample is
By placing the sample on the inclined surface and inserting it between the fixed wall and the moving wall, the sample is urged in the direction of the fixed wall by the urging means added to the moving wall, and the sample is moved between the fixed wall and the moving wall. Since the sample is securely fixed, it is possible to prevent the sample from shifting even if the sample is lightweight.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, components having the same configuration as that of the conventional technology are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is partially omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a sample holder according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA 'in FIG. 2, and FIG. It is a BB 'line sectional view. As shown in FIG. 1, the sample holder 1 of the present invention
Has an opening 3 in the upper surface of the base 2, and a V-shaped inclined surface formed at an angle of 45 °, that is, a V block 4, is provided in the center of the inside of the opening 3. Further, a metal fixed wall 11 is provided at one end of the V block 4 in a direction intersecting with the V block 4, and the other end thereof is movable on the V block 4 in the arrow X direction in the figure. A moving wall 12 made of metal is provided. Fixed wall 11 and moving wall 12
Is provided perpendicular to the upper surface of the base 2.

The lower portion of the moving wall 12 is formed in a V shape like the V block 4. One end of the moving wall 12 is locked to the rear surface of the moving wall 12, and the other end is connected to the inner wall of the opening 3. The stationary coil spring 13 is constantly urged in the direction of the fixed wall 11. Inside the coil spring 13, one end is fixed to the back surface of the moving wall 12 by welding or the like, and the other end is a support rod slide hole 14 formed in the base 2 from the inner wall of the opening 3.
Is inserted through the support rod 15 which is loosely fitted. By moving the other end of the support rod 15 in the support rod slide hole 14, the support rod 15 and the moving wall 12 can be moved stably. The sample is sandwiched and fixed between the fixed wall 11 and the moving wall 12, and in order to prevent the sample from slipping and to prevent the sample itself from being damaged at that time, as shown in FIGS. It is preferable to attach an elastic body such as rubber 16 to each of the surfaces of the moving wall 12 that come into contact with the sample (the surfaces facing each other).

As shown in FIG. 3, when a cylindrical sample such as the magnetic head drum 20 for a video camera shown in FIG. 6 is mounted on the sample holder 1, the sample center line C is higher than the upper surface of the base 2. However, the height of the fixed wall 11 and the moving wall 12 needs to be at least higher than the sample center line C for the purpose of holding the sample. However, when the sample holder 1 is set on the sample stage 6, the range is set so as not to project from the sample stage 6.

The magnetic head drum 20 is placed on the sample holder 1 such that the predetermined sliding surface of the magnetic head is positioned directly above.
In the case where is mounted, as shown in FIG. 3, there is a possibility that the sliding surface of another magnetic head comes into contact with the V block 4 portion. If the sliding surface of the magnetic head physically contacts metal or the like, accurate surface information cannot be obtained. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the fixed wall 11 is installed at a position about 2 mm away from the end face of the V block 4. By arranging the sliding surface of another magnetic head in the space S formed by the end face of the V block 4 and the fixed wall 11, the sliding surface of the magnetic head other than the magnetic head to be measured comes into contact with the V block 4. Can be prevented. Therefore, measurement of other magnetic heads in the same magnetic head drum can be performed without any adverse effect. The fixing wall 11 may be fixed to the base 2 of the sample holder 1, but a groove is provided at one end of the V-block 4 so as to cope with a change in the size (thickness) of the sample. It may be detachable.

Next, a method for fixing a sample to the sample holder 1 will be described. First, in FIG.
The moving wall 12 is moved to the left in the figure so that
The sample is placed and inserted on the V-block 4 between the fixed wall 11 and the moving wall 12 with the surface to be measured (for example, the sliding surface of the magnetic head) facing upward. It is moved toward the fixed wall 11 by the urging force of the coil spring 13, and is sandwiched and fixed between the fixed wall 11 and the moving wall 12. In this case, the coil spring 13 expands and contracts according to the thickness of the sample. In this manner, the sample holder 1 on which the sample is fixed is finely adjusted under the optical microscope so that the surface to be measured is right above. Further, the sample holder 1 is moved to the position of the scanning probe microscope 30. The sample is mounted on the stage base and the sample is measured.

According to the sample holder of the present invention, when the position of the sample is adjusted as described above, when the sample holder is mounted on the stage table, or when the sample is measured, even if the sample receives external vibration, Since the sample is firmly fixed between the fixed wall and the moving wall, it is possible to prevent the sample from moving in the sample holder and causing displacement.

Although the embodiment has been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to this. For example,
In the above embodiment, the fixed wall and the moving wall are provided in parallel to each other, but depending on the shape of the sample, both may not necessarily be provided in parallel. In the above embodiment, the fixed wall is provided at one end of the V-shaped inclined surface, and the movable wall is provided at the other end.
A movable wall having a biasing means may be provided at both ends of the V-shaped inclined surface. The sample holder of the present invention is preferably used for a cylindrical sample such as a magnetic head drum, but is not limited to this, and is widely used as a sample holder for a deformed sample such as a spherical or square pyramid. be able to. In addition, the sample holder of the present invention is not limited to measurement of a sample by a scanning probe microscope as described in the section of the prior art, and is widely used when holding a sample at a predetermined position, such as an optical microscope for surface observation. be able to.

[0022]

According to the sample holder of the present invention, the sample can be securely fixed and stably held, so that even a lightweight sample that moves due to microvibration can prevent displacement. it can. Therefore, the measurement accuracy can be improved by using the sample holder of the present invention for various types of measuring devices such as a scanning probe microscope.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a sample holder of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A ′ in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B-B ′ in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional sample holder and a sample stage.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a magnetic head drum for a video camera.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram when measuring unevenness of a magnetic head sliding surface by a scanning probe microscope.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... sample holder, 2 ... base, 3 ... opening, 4 ... V block, 5 ... screw hole, 6 ... sample stage, 11 ... fixed wall, 1
2: moving wall, 13: coil spring, 14: support rod slide hole, 15: support rod, 16: rubber, 20: magnetic head drum, 30: scanning probe microscope

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:
In a sample holder having a V-shaped inclined surface and holding a sample on the V-shaped inclined surface, a fixed wall is provided at one end of the V-shaped inclined surface in a direction intersecting with the V-shaped inclined surface. And a moving wall having an urging means for urging the sample in the direction of the fixed wall is provided at the other end of the V-shaped inclined surface. 2. The sample holder according to claim 1, wherein the biasing means is a coil spring having one end locked to the back of the moving wall and the other end locked to the inner wall of the opening. . 3. The sample holder according to claim 2, wherein one end of the coil spring is fixed to a rear surface of the moving wall, and the other end of the coil spring has a support rod loosely fitted to the base. 4. The sample holder according to claim 1, wherein an elastic body is adhered to each of the opposing surfaces of the fixed wall and the moving wall.