JPH1164347A - Holder supporting device in scanning probe microscope - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a holder-supporting device which can securely fix a holder to a pedestal at all times. SOLUTION: At the time of fixing a cantilever holder 1 to a pedestal 22 (a mounting part 22A (22B) and a guide part), the legs 20 and 21 of the cantilever holder 1 are inserted between the pedestal 22 and a cantilever holder presser bar 27. The legs 20 and 21 are inserted between the pedestal 22 and the cantilever holder presser bar 27 until the lower surface of the cantilever holder 1 comes into contact with the mounting part 22A (22B) of the cantilever holder 1. At the time when the downward movement of the legs 20 and 21 is stopped, the cantilever holder presser bar 27 is in contact with the taper parts of grooves formed in the legs 20 and 21, and the legs 20 and 21 are pushed downward by the cantilever holder presser bar 27. By this, the cantilever holder 1 is securely fixed to the pedestal 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a holder support device in a scanning probe microscope that supports a cantilever holder in an atomic force microscope and a tip holder in a scanning tunneling microscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An atomic force microscope is a device for obtaining an atomic-level sample image based on an atomic force acting between a sample attached to a cantilever and a sample.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional cantilever holder support device in an atomic force microscope. FIG.
In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a cantilever holder, and a cantilever holder 3 having a tip 2 at a tip is provided on the cantilever holder 1.
Is attached. The cantilever holder 1 has legs 4 and 5 attached thereto.
a and 5a are respectively formed.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a stage arranged in a sample chamber of an atomic force microscope. A pedestal 7 on which the cantilever holder 1 is mounted is fixed to the stage 6.
Is formed with a guide 8. Pressing springs 9 and 10 are fixed to the stage 6, and leg insertion holes 11 and 12 are formed on both sides of the guide 8 of the stage 6. Now, the cantilever holder 1 is fixed to the pedestal 7 with its legs inserted between the pedestal 7 and the holding spring. FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the cantilever holder 1 is fixed to the pedestal 7, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line EF of FIG.

[0005] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the leg of the cantilever holder 1 is inserted between the pedestal 7 and the holding spring until the lower surface of the cantilever holder contacts the pedestal 7. When the lower surface of the cantilever holder 1 comes into contact with the pedestal 7, the pressing springs 9, 10 are fitted into the grooves 4a, 5a formed in the legs 4, 5, respectively, and the legs 4, 5 are pressed downward by the pressing spring. Therefore, the cantilever holder 1 is firmly fixed to the pedestal 7.

In the conventional cantilever holder supporting device described above, the legs 4, 5 of the cantilever holder 1 are erroneously pressed by the holding springs 9, 10.
, The holding springs 9 and 10 are deformed. For example, when the holding spring is deformed as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4B, when the leg is inserted between the pedestal and the holding spring, the holding spring 9 hits the upper part of the groove 4a,
The leg 4 is pushed upward by a holding spring 9. for that reason,
The cantilever holder 1 is no longer firmly fixed to the base 7. The present invention has been made in view of such a point,
An object of the present invention is to provide a holder supporting device capable of always firmly fixing a holder to a base.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, a holder support device in a scanning probe microscope according to the present invention includes a holder having legs, a pedestal on which the holder is mounted, and one end attached to the pedestal. An elastic member and a holder presser bar attached to the other end of the elastic member and pulled toward the pedestal by the elastic member, wherein legs of the holder are sandwiched between the pedestal and the holder presser bar. And

[0007]

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

FIG. 5 shows an apparatus for supporting a cantilever holder of an atomic force microscope as an example of the present invention. 5, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. In FIG. 5, 20,
Reference numeral 21 denotes a leg attached to the cantilever holder 1. The legs 20, 21 have grooves 20a, 21a, respectively.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a pedestal fixed to the stage 6. The pedestal 22 is provided with cantilever holder mounting portions 22A and 22A.
2B and a guide portion 22C. Grooves A, B, and C are formed in the cantilever holder mounting portions 22A and 22B and the guide portion 22C, respectively. Hook portions 23 and 24 are attached to the side surfaces of the cantilever holder mounting portions 22A and 22B, respectively, at positions substantially at the same height as the upper surface of the groove. One end of a tension spring 25 as a first elastic member is hooked on the hook portion 23, while one end of a tension spring 26 as a second elastic member is hooked on the hook portion 24. I have. The other ends of the tension springs are hooked on cantilever holder holding rods 27 each having a circular cross section and fitted in the grooves A, B, and C. The cantilever holder holding rod 27 is pulled toward the pedestal by a tension spring, and when the cantilever holder 1 is not mounted on the pedestal, it is in contact with the upper and side surfaces of the grooves A, B, and C. When the cantilever holder 1 is fixed to the pedestal 22, the legs 20 and 21 of the cantilever holder 1 are connected to the pedestal 22 and the cantilever holder holding rod 2.
It is inserted between seven. When the legs 20, 21 are inserted between the pedestal 22 and the cantilever holder holding rod 27, the cantilever holder holding rod 27 is separated from the side surface of the groove and is in contact with the leg as shown in FIG. Rotate counterclockwise to temporarily move away from the upper surface of the groove. The legs 20 and 21 are inserted between the pedestal 22 and the cantilever holder holding rod 27 until the lower surface of the cantilever holder 1 contacts the cantilever holder mounting portions 22A and 22B. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the lower surface of the cantilever holder 1 comes into contact with the cantilever holder mounting portions 22A and 22B. FIG. 8A is a sectional view taken along the line G-H of FIG. 8) is a sectional view taken along the line IJ in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8A, when the lower surface of the cantilever holder 1 comes into contact with the cantilever holder mounting portion and the downward movement of the leg 20 is stopped, the cantilever holder holding rod 27 is in the state shown in FIG. Unlike this, it is in contact with the upper surface of the groove A of the cantilever holder mounting portion 22A. This is because the restoring force of the tension spring causes the cantilever holder holding rod 27 to rotate counterclockwise from the state of FIG. 6 and move upward. FIG.
As shown in (b), when the downward movement of the leg is stopped, the cantilever holder holding rod 27 is in contact with the tapered portion T of the groove 20a formed in the leg, and the legs 20, 21 are formed.
Is pressed downward by the cantilever holder holding rod 27. Therefore, the cantilever holder 1 is firmly fixed to the pedestal 22. As described above, an example of the present invention has been described.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, one end of a cantilever holder holding rod is rotatably attached to a pedestal, and a tension spring hooked on a hook portion of the pedestal is hooked on the other end of the cantilever holder holding rod,
The leg of the cantilever holder may be held between the pedestal and the cantilever holder holding rod. With this configuration, the cantilever holder can be fixed by one tension spring.

The present invention can be applied to a case where a holder having a tip of a scanning tunnel microscope is fixed to a pedestal.

[0012]

According to the holder support device of the present invention, a holder such as a cantilever holder or a tip holder can always be firmly fixed to the base.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional cantilever holder support device in an atomic force microscope.

FIG. 2 shows the cantilever holder supporting device of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state when the cantilever holder is fixed to a base.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line EF of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a problem of the cantilever holder supporting device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cantilever holder support device in an atomic force microscope, shown as an example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the cantilever holder supporting device of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a view shown for explaining the operation of the cantilever holder holding rod 27.

FIG. 7 shows the cantilever holder supporting device of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state when the cantilever holder is fixed to a base.

8 is a diagram showing a GH section and an IJ section of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cantilever holder, 2 ... Tip, 3 ... Cantilever, 4, 5 ... Leg, 4a, 5a ... Groove, 6 ... Stage, 7 ...
Pedestal, 8 ... Guide, 9,10 ... Holding spring, 11,12
... Leg insertion holes, 20, 21 ... Legs, 20a, 21a ... Groove, 2
2. Pedestal, 22A, 22B ... Cantilever holder mounting part, 22C ... Guide part, A, B, C ... Groove, 23, 24 ...
Hook part, 25: tension spring, 26: tension spring, 27: cantilever holder holding rod

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A holder having legs, a pedestal on which the holder is mounted, an elastic member having one end attached to the pedestal, and an elastic member attached to the other end of the elastic member. A holder support rod for the scanning probe microscope, characterized in that the holder support rod is provided and the legs of the holder are held between the pedestal and the holder retainer rod.