Patent ID: 8443460

Claim:
A method for characterizing an atomic force microscopy tip using a characterization structure on a substrate, the characterization structure having two inclined sidewalls relative to a plane of a surface of the substrate, said inclined sidewalls opposing one another, and of which at least one actual lateral distance, parallel to the plane of the surface of the substrate and separating said two inclined sidewalls corresponding to a given height of said structure, is known, said method comprising: scanning surfaces of said inclined sidewalls of said structure by said tip, said scanning being carried out while said tip oscillates solely vertically, perpendicular relative to the plane of the surface of the substrate; measuring, for said given height, the lateral distance parallel to the plane of the surface of the substrate, separating said two inclined sidewalls, said measurement incorporating a convolution of the shape of said tip with the shape of said characterization structure; determining a characteristic dimension of said tip as a function of said measured lateral distance, and of said actual lateral distance.