Patent ID: 6229607
Filing Date: 2001-05-08
Classification: B82Y,G01Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A scanning probe microscope comprising:a supporting member;a cantilever having a probe tip in its end;an X fine movement mechanism for moving said cantilever in an X direction in order to perform an X-direction scanning operation, having two fixed sections fixed to said supporting member, at least two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections disposed between said two fixed sections, an X moving section movable in the X direction, which is connected to each of said two fixed sections through each of said two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections, and two X direction piezoelectric actuators causing said X moving section to move relatively to said fixed sections, each of which is arranged between two parallel plates in each of said two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections;a Y fine movement mechanism for moving said cantilever in a Y direction perpendicular to the X direction in order to perform a Y-direction scanning operation, having other at least two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections, two parallel plates in each pair of which are arranged in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, a Y moving section movable in the Y direction, which is connected to said X moving section through said other two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections, and two Y direction piezoelectric actuators causing said Y moving section to move relatively to said X moving section, each of which is arranged between the two parallel plates in each of said other two pairs of parallel-plate flexural sections;a Z fine movement mechanism for approaching or separating said cantilever in a Z direction perpendicular to both of the X and Y directions, having a Z moving section movable in the Z direction perpendicular to both of the X and Y directions, and a Z direction piezoelectric actuator causing said Z moving section to move; andan optical detecting unit for detecting a flexural deformation amount of said cantilever when it bends based on a change of a mutual operative force between said probe tip and a sample;wherein said cantilever is fixed to a lower side of said Z fine movement mechanism and said probe tip is directed to the sample on a sample stand with a predetermined separation when carrying out measurement,said optical detecting unit includes a light source and a photodetector which are fixed to said Y moving section of said Y fine movement mechanism, and further includes the first reflecting section for reflecting a ray of light emitted from said light source and guiding it to a rear of said cantilever, and the second reflecting section for reflecting the ray of light from the rear of said cantilever to the movement direction of said Z fine movement mechanism so as to send it to said photodetector, wherein said first and second reflecting sections are fixed to said Z fine movement mechanism so that their positional relationship with said cantilever kept to be a predetermined state; andfurther wherein at the measurement, if the flexural deformation amount of said cantilever is kept to be regular when said probe tip moves, the ray of light is guided to an identical spot on the rear of said cantilever and further to an identical spot on the photodetector.