JPH1164349A - Scanning tunnel microscope in plasma environment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit measurement in a plasma environment by a scanning probe microscope, which is conventionally limited to measurement in a gaseous environment, a liquid environment, or a vacuum environment, to provide a tunnel spectroscope using the scanning probe microscope, and to provide a device and a method for material processing such as film formation, etching, synthesis by chemical reaction, atomic manipulation, surface processing under a new condition that is in a plasma environment. SOLUTION: This microscope is composed of a low-temperature plasma generating part 7 and a scanning tunnel microscope part with electronics to resist a plasma voltage of 30 V or more and uses a probe insulated by a coating except a micro part of a tip end of 10 μm or less to permit operation and measurement in a plasma environment. By using this microscope, the new application areas of a scanning probe microscope such as the analysis of a solid surface structure, the analysis of an electronic structure, substance synthesis in a new environment that is in a plasma environment are exploited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

This invention relates to the technology of scanning tunneling microscopes.

[0002]

Problems to be solved by the prior art and the invention
Scanning tunneling microscopes are widely used to analyze nanometer-scale structures on solid surfaces in vacuum, air, gas, and liquid.

However, in the prior art, in a plasma environment, which is an ionized gas aggregate, measurement by a scanning tunneling microscope is impossible because of the presence of charged particles (electrons and ions) and the presence of plasma space potential. there were.

An object of the present invention is to provide a scanning tunneling microscope capable of performing measurement in a plasma environment under such circumstances.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventor has constituted a low-temperature plasma generating section and a scanning tunneling microscope section having plasma-resistant (30 V or more) electronics, and has a tip of 10 μm. We have developed a scanning tunneling microscope that can operate / measure in a low-temperature plasma environment using a probe covered with an insulating coating while leaving the following minute parts.

[0006]

The present invention has a configuration as described above. What has been conventionally limited to measurement in the atmosphere, gas atmosphere, liquid atmosphere, and vacuum atmosphere is replaced by scanning tunneling microscope measurement in a low-temperature plasma environment atmosphere. Is possible.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a probe, 2 is a sample unit, 3 is a probe scanning unit such as a piezo actuator, 4 is a sample scanning unit, 7 is a low-temperature plasma generator, and 6 is a low-temperature plasma generated. The set is housed in the container 5 and the gas inlet 8,
The outlet 9 is provided. The drawings are working examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these working examples. 2 and 3 are graphite images of a scanning tunneling microscope actually measured in a high-frequency glow air plasma environment. This is the first example of nanoscale surface structure analysis in plasma.

[0008]

The scanning probe microscope, which has been conventionally limited to measurement in a gas atmosphere, a liquid atmosphere, and a vacuum atmosphere,
Enables measurement in a plasma atmosphere. Furthermore,
Provided are a tunneling spectrometer and a material processing apparatus / method such as film formation, etching, chemical reaction synthesis, atomic manipulation, surface treatment, etc. under new conditions of a plasma environment using these scanning probe microscopes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an experimental apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows a high-frequency glow air plasma (430 MH)
3 is a graphite surface image of a scanning tunneling microscope measured under an environment of (z, 0.3 Torr). This is the first example of surface structure analysis of a scanning tunneling microscope at the nanoscale in a plasma environment.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a terrace surface image (A) of a graphite tunnel surface of a scanning tunneling microscope actually measured in a high-frequency glow air plasma (430 MHz, 0.3 Torr) environment and a cross-section (AA ′) structure thereof as in FIG. Figure (B). 5 nm
A step structure of height is observed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 FIG. 1 1 Probe 2 Sample section 3 Probe scanning unit 4 Sample scanning unit 5 Vessel 6 Plasma 7 Plasma generator 8 Gas inlet 9 Gas outlet

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A scanning tunnel microscope comprising a low-temperature plasma generating section and a scanning tunnel microscope section, and capable of operating / measuring in a low-temperature plasma environment. 2. A probe comprising a low-temperature plasma generating section and a scanning tunneling microscope section, having a plasma voltage-resistant electronics of 30 V or more, and using an insulated coating tip except for a minute portion having a tip of 10 μm or less. A scanning tunnel microscope that can operate and measure in a low-temperature plasma environment. 3. A tunnel spectrum device using the above device (claims 1 and 2). 4. A material processing apparatus and a material processing method using the above apparatus (claims 1 and 2), such as surface modification, deposition, etching, atomic operation, and chemical reaction synthesis of a material.