JPH11153609A - Probe microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the probe microscope provided with a means which easily position and converges the semiconductor laser light of the probe microscope, such as an inter-atomic force microscope and a magnetic force microscope, having a displacement detection system consisting of a spring element, a photodetecting element, etc., fitted atop of a fine moving element on the tip of the spring element and a means which can replace the spring element. SOLUTION: A block 11 where holder parts 1 holding spring elements 2 can be arranged is provided in a device and the holder parts 1 and block 11 are fixed with a magnetic force; and a jig member constituted into a three- dimensional moving means (stage) constituted in the device is used to replaces the spring elements 2 held by the holder parts 1 between the block 11 and the detecting means part constituted in the device, thus constituting the probe microscope.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention converts various forces such as an atomic force or a magnetic force acting between materials into a displacement by a minute spring element, and irradiates the displacement with a laser beam to the spring element to generate a reflected light beam. The present invention relates to a probe microscope such as an atomic force microscope or a magnetic force microscope which detects a position shift by a light detection element and generates a control signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Atomic force microscopy, a kind of probe microscope, is known.
e) is GTM, the inventor of STM. Invented by Binnig et al. (Physical Review Lette)
rs vol. 56 p9301986)
Expected as a new means for observing the surface shape of insulating materials,
Research is ongoing. The principle is to measure the atomic force acting between the detection chip and the sample whose tip is sufficiently sharp as the displacement of the spring element to which the detection chip is attached,
The surface of the sample is scanned while keeping the displacement of the spring element constant, and the shape of the surface of the sample is measured by using a control signal for keeping the displacement of the spring element constant as the shape information. The spring element displacement detecting means is roughly classified into an STM method using a tunnel current and an optical method.
The STM method utilizes a so-called tunnel phenomenon in which a current starts to flow when a voltage is applied by bringing two conductors close to a distance of several nanometers to several angstroms. Conductivity is imparted to the spring element, and a sharp metal needle is brought close to the spring element to about 1 nanometer to flow a tunnel current, and the current value is controlled as a displacement signal of the spring element. An example using the so-called interference method itself as an optical system (Journal of Vacuum Science)
Technology A6 (2) p266Mar /
Apr. 1988), or an example called an optical lever method in which a laser beam is applied to a spring element and the displacement of the reflected light is detected by a photodetector to generate a displacement signal (Journal o).
f Applied Physics 65 (1), 1
p164 January 1989).

The present invention relates to an optical lever type probe microscope. A probe microscope is called an atomic force microscope if a probe placed at a position facing the sample receives an atomic force from the sample, and a magnetic force microscope if the probe is a magnetic force. The state of the sample can be observed by detecting various forces generated from the sample.

In the case of a probe microscope having a small observation sample as a configuration, a sample is mainly arranged on the side of a three-dimensionally operated fine movement mechanism incorporating a piezoelectric element which is deformed by applying a voltage. There is a need to observe hard disks and semiconductor-related wafer samples without breaking them into small pieces. Therefore, there is a probe microscope having a configuration in which a displacement detection system is provided on the fine movement mechanism side. As a basic operation, a probe microscope operates a fine movement mechanism in a plane to move a probe constituted by a spring element in a plane with respect to a sample plane.
It monitors the deformation of the spring element due to the physical force acting between the sample and the probe, and visualizes the surface shape and state of the sample based on the result of operating the fine movement mechanism in the vertical direction.

[0005]

In a probe microscope, the physical force acting between a sample and a probe is basically considered to be small, but the probe scans within the sample surface to damage or wear the probe. May occur. Also, this tip is mainly
It is made by etching silicon-based materials, etc.
There are also initial failures in processing. Deformation of the shape of the probe, mainly the tip, occurs as a difference in observation results, resulting in different results even when the same observation portion is viewed, and causes problems in reliability and resolution of the apparatus. Therefore, when abnormality of the probe is confirmed based on the observation result of the probe tip, it is necessary to replace the entire spring element.

The present invention has a means for easily exchanging a spring element of a probe microscope such as an atomic force microscope or a magnetic force microscope having a configuration in which a displacement detection system is attached to the tip of a fine movement mechanism at a desired position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a probe microscope having the configuration.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a moving means (X, Y, Z stage or R, Z stage) for moving a sample three-dimensionally in a structure in which a displacement detecting section is attached to the tip of a fine movement element. , Θ stage Here, θ means a rotary stage).
A configuration is adopted in which a holding member (holder portion) provided with a spring element is transferred between a block capable of holding a plurality of holding members and a displacement detection unit.

According to the present invention, a plurality of spring elements can be arranged in the apparatus by taking the above-described means, and further, a new positioning mechanism is not provided.
It is possible to transfer the sample to the displacement detection unit using a moving means (X, Y, Z stage or R, Z, θ stage) originally prepared for precisely moving the sample.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a holder 1 for holding a spring element 2.
FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the center of the holder unit 1. The holder 1 has the following configuration. The spring element 2 is fixed to the base 4 by a leaf spring 3 formed on the holder 1. This is a configuration for facilitating replacement of the spring element 2 with the holder part 1, and it is also conceivable that the spring element 2 is adhered to the holder part 1 and held. A magnet 5 is fixed to the back surface of the base 4 of the holder 1. The base 4 has a hole 6 for positioning. In the method of holding the holder unit 1, when vacuum suction or electrostatic suction is used, the hole 6 is not formed to secure a suction surface.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a state where a plurality of the holder portions 1 are stored. The block 11 includes a magnetic material portion 12, a non-magnetic material portion 13, and a guide pin. Holder part 1
Is a block 1 by a magnet 5 fixed to the back surface of the base 4.
The first magnetic material portion 12 is held by a magnetic force. Block 1
Since the one magnetic material portion 12 is partially formed, the holder portion 1 and the block 11 can be easily separated or fixed by moving the holder portion 1 along the guide pins 14. I have. When the block 11 is disposed in the apparatus, the block 11 is disposed so that the holder unit 1 faces downward. The replacement is performed for each block 11, and the block 11 is fixed in the apparatus with a magnetic force or a screw.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a positioning jig. The positioning jig 21 has the following configuration. A pin block 23 to which a pin 24 is fixed is fixed on a base 22. The pin 24 is thinner than the hole 6 of the base 4 of the holder 1. Further, by forming the pin 24 itself with an elastic material or holding the pin block 23 with an elastic material 25 such as a leaf spring, a shock at the time of the positioning operation can be reduced. The base 22 has a mirror 26 for observing the alignment of the spring element and the laser beam.
Has been fixed. The positioning jig 21 is mounted on a sample holder on a three-axis stage (X, Y, Z stage or R, θ, Z stage) provided in the apparatus. Whether the positioning jig 21 is movable in the vertical direction, or is configured to be attachable / detachable;
The arrangement is such that the positioning jig 21 does not come into contact with other components at the time of measuring the sample by arranging the positioning jig 21 at a position that does not interfere with the sample measurement. In this embodiment, the air cylinder is used to move up and down. It is also conceivable to use an electromagnetic solenoid to perform the same operation.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the positioning jig shown in FIG. 4 has a pinching mechanism instead of a pin fitting. A small air chuck 33 in which the pin 31 operates in the direction of the arrow 32 was used as the pinching mechanism. That is, by supplying air through the air supply pipe 37, the rectangular parallelepiped slide part 38 moves in the direction of the arrow, and with this movement, the pin 31 fixed to the slide part 38 moves in the direction of the arrow, and the holder part shown in FIG. This facilitates fitting into the first hole 6. The air chuck 33 is fixed to a base 34, and has a spring element and a laser similarly to the structure of the above-described embodiment.
A mirror 26 for observing the alignment of the light is fixed to the base 34. The elastic member 35 is also held by the base 34 and the plate 36. The air chuck 33 has a pipe 37 for supplying air, and is made of a relatively soft resin so that no load is applied to the elastic member 35.

FIG. 6 shows an X, Y, Z stage 41, 42, 4
FIG. 11 is a diagram in which a positioning jig is arranged on the sample holder 44 configured in FIG. A sample holder 44 is provided on the Z-axis stage 43, and a fixed plate 45 is provided on the sample holder 44. A small air cylinder 46 and a linear guide 47 are fixed to the fixed plate 45. The positioning jig portion 21 is configured via the linear guide. In this embodiment, a small air cylinder having a movable distance of about 5 mm was used.

In a probe microscope using an optical lever as a detection unit, the spring element and the laser beam provided in the detection unit are aligned, that is, the laser beam or the spring element is moved so that the laser beam hits the spring element. Need to be aligned. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the state of alignment between the spring element and the laser beam according to the present embodiment. Optical components such as a laser transmission source 53 are formed in a detection unit 52 formed at the tip of a fine movement mechanism 51 made of a piezoelectric element material and performing a three-dimensional operation. A holder 1 that holds the spring element is magnetically fixed to the tip of the detection unit 52. That is, a plate made of a magnetic material is fixed to the tip of the detection unit 52.
Since the holder unit 1 is fixed to the detection unit 52 by magnetic force, the holder unit 1 is moved in-plane by using the positioning jig 21 formed on the sample holder via a stage, and the laser light and The spring elements will be aligned. The means for checking the alignment status is performed in the following configuration. A half mirror 54 (beam spiriter) is formed in the detection unit 52, and there is an optical microscope 56 with a built-in optical fiber for illumination having a mirror 55 at the tip at a position facing the half mirror 54. The image of the optical microscope is a CCD camera 57 fixed to the optical microscope.
Can be displayed on the monitor 58 for confirmation. The laser beam emitted from the laser source 53 in the detection unit 52 passes through the half mirror 54 and is applied to the spring element side. In this embodiment, a semiconductor laser is used. The image of the spring element and the laser light is provided on the positioning jig 21 and can be confirmed through a mirror 26.

The structural members described above are described in, for example, "Japanese Patent Application No. 9-094120 (filed on April 11, 1997)" and "Japanese Patent Application No. 9-099351 (filed on April 16, 1997)". It is located in a device-based device.

Next, the operation flow will be described. 1) A block 11 containing a plurality of the holders 1 is arranged at a predetermined position in the apparatus such that the holders face downward. 2) The X, Y, and Z stages 41, 42, and 43 are moved to bring the holes 6 of the holder 1 and the pins 24 of the positioning jig 21 into alignment. This position is registered in the computer in advance, and is operated based on this data. 3) The positioning jig 21 is moved upward by the air cylinder 46. 4) The Z-axis stage 43 is raised. 5) As the Z-axis stage 43 is raised, the pins 24 of the positioning jig 21 and the holes 6 of the holder 1 are fitted. 6) By moving the stage in-plane, the holder 1 and the block 11 are magnetically coupled to separate the holder 1 from the block 11. Thereby, the holder 1
Is transferred to the positioning jig 21 side. 7) Lower the Z-axis stage 43 and the air cylinder 46. 8) The X, Y, and Z stages 41, 42, and 43 are moved to bring the holder unit 1 below the detection unit 52. This position is registered in the computer in advance, and is operated based on this data. 9) The positioning jig 21 is moved upward by the air cylinder 46. 10) Raise the Z-axis stage 43. 11) When the Z-axis stage 43 is raised, the magnetic plate provided in the detection unit 52 and the magnet 5 of the holder 1 are
12) The holder unit 1 is magnetically fixed to the detection unit 52. 12) The laser beam emitted from the detection unit 52 and the spring element of the holder unit 1 are combined with the optical microscope 56 and the CCD camera 5.
The stage 41 and 42 are operated while the holder 1 is moved in the plane while confirming the image projected on the monitor 58 via 7 to align the laser beam and the spring element. 13)
The Z-axis stage 43 and the air cylinder 46 are lowered. 14) Move the stage to the origin. Thus, the stored spring element can be attached to the detection unit. Obviously, by performing the reverse operation, the spring element can be similarly stored in the storage place.

[0018]

According to the present invention, by providing a plurality of spring elements in the apparatus, the deformation of the probe formed at the tip of the spring element can be easily exchanged systematically by external control. In addition, since the positioning is performed using the moving means originally configured to precisely move the sample, the laser light can be easily positioned at the tip of the spring element having a size of about 10 μm. This has the effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a holder for holding a spring element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of a central portion of a holder unit for holding a spring element according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which a plurality of holder portions according to the embodiment of the present invention are housed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a positioning jig portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a positioning jig portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a positioning jig according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state of alignment between a spring element and a laser beam according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Holder part 2 Spring element 3 Leaf spring 4 Base 5 Magnet 6 Hole 11 Block 12 Magnetic material part 13 Nonmagnetic material part 14 Guide pin 21 Alignment jig part 22, 34 Base 23 Pin block 24, 31 pin 25, 35 Elastic material 26 Mirror 32 Arrow 33 Air chuck 36 Plate 37 Piping 41, 42, 43 X, Y, Z stage 44 Sample holder 45 Fixing plate 46 Air cylinder 47 Linear guide 51 Fine movement mechanism 52 Detector 53 Laser source 54 Half mirror ( Beam spiriter) 55 Mirror 56 Optical microscope with built-in optical fiber for illumination 57 CCD camera 58 Monitor

Claims (9)

[Claims] A coarse positioning coarse movement mechanism and a fine positioning fine movement mechanism for performing a three-dimensional relative movement of a sample and a mechanism for detecting a physical quantity such as an atomic force received from the sample. Control means for maintaining a constant distance between mechanisms for detecting physical quantities such as atomic forces, a vibration isolation mechanism for reducing vibration transmission from the installation environment to the device, a control unit and a computer for controlling the entire device A configuration in which a mechanism for detecting the physical quantity is arranged on the fine movement mechanism side,
In a probe microscope for observing the shape and state of the sample surface, a mechanism for detecting the physical quantity comprises a spring element,
A jig having a holding member for holding the spring element, a block capable of disposing a plurality of the holding members provided in the apparatus, and a moving means (stage) for moving the sample three-dimensionally; A probe microscope, wherein a spring element held by the holding member using a member can be exchanged between the block and the detection means. 2. A block having a magnet on a back surface of the holding member to which the spring element is fixed, a block capable of arranging a plurality of the holding members is formed of a magnetic material, and the holding member is provided on the detecting unit. The portion for fixing the spring element is made of a magnetic material, and the spring element held by the holding member can be exchanged between the block and the detection unit by the magnetic force of the magnet. The probe microscope according to claim 1. 3. A block in which a back surface of the holding member to which the spring element is fixed is made of a magnetic material, a plurality of the holding members can be arranged, and a magnet is provided at a portion where the holding member is fixed to the detection means. 2. The probe according to claim 1, wherein a spring element held by said holding member is exchangeable between said block and said detection means by a magnetic force of said magnet. Microscope. 4. A structure in which a plurality of the holding members can be held by a magnetic force in the block, in which a plurality of the holding members can be arranged;
The probe microscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a structure is provided in which the holding member is easily slid laterally by the stage so that the holding member can be easily removed from the magnetic fixing. 5. A jig formed on the moving means (stage) has a pin-shaped projection, and the holding member has a hole-shaped structure slightly larger than a pin, and fits the pin and the hole. Thus, the movement of the moving means is transmitted to the holding member so that the spring element held by the holding member can be exchanged between the block and the detecting means. The probe microscope according to claim 1. 6. A jig formed in said moving means (stage) has a structure capable of being opened and closed in a pinching manner, and by holding said holding member, movement of said moving means is controlled by said holding member. 2. The probe microscope according to claim 1, wherein the spring element held by the holding member is exchangeable between the block and the detection unit. 7. A jig included in the moving means (stage) has a vacuum suction structure, and the movement of the moving means is transmitted to the holding member by holding the holding member by vacuum suction. The probe microscope according to claim 1, wherein the spring element held by the holding member is configured to be exchangeable between the block and the detection unit. 8. A jig formed in the moving means (stage) has a structure of attracting by an electromagnet, and by holding the holding member by magnetic force, the movement of the moving means is transmitted to the holding member. The probe microscope according to claim 1, wherein the spring element held by the holding member is configured to be exchangeable between the block and the detection unit. 9. A jig included in the moving means (stage) has a structure of suction by static electricity, and holds the holding member by electrostatic force, so that the movement of the moving means is reduced.
2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the spring element held by the holding member is exchangeable between the block and the detection means so as to be transmitted to the holding member.
A probe microscope according to the item.