Patent ID: 6437329
Filing Date: 2002-08-20
Classification: B82Y,G01N,G01Q,Y10S

Abstract:
A system for analyzing a film and detecting a defect associated therewith, comprising:a scanning probe microscope including a nanotube tip having a material associated therewith which exhibits a characteristic that varies with respect to a film composition at a location corresponding to the nanotube tip, wherein the material comprises a fluorophore, and wherein the characteristic is a fluorescence having a wavelength that varies over variations in the film composition at the location corresponding to the nanotube tip; an excitation source for triggering the characteristic which varies with respect to the film composition at the location corresponding to the nanotube tip, wherein the excitation source comprises a light source; a detection system for detecting the material characteristic; and a controller operatively coupled to the detection system and the scanning probe microscope, the controller configured to receive information associated with the detected characteristic and use the information to determine whether the film contains a defect at the location corresponding to the nanotube tip.