Patent ID: 7107826

Claim:
A processing method by a scanning probe, which processes a shape information of a sample surface or a sample by causing a probe to approach to or contact with the sample surface, the processing method comprising: a step of obtaining a three-dimensional shape information of the sample by performing a 1st vibration to a cantilever having at its free end the probe in a vertical direction with respect to the sample surface and scanning the sample surface while retaining a 1st contact pressure that the probe applies to the sample surface; and a step of removing a predetermined portion of the sample by scanning a predetermined region of the sample surface by the probe on the basis of the three-dimensional shape information while performing a 2nd vibration to the cantilever in the vertical direction with respect to the sample surface, which is different from the 1st vibration, and giving a 2nd contact pressure greater than the 1st contact pressure that the probe applies to the sample.