Andreas Berghaus

US Patent:

6504151, Jan 7, 2003

Filed:

Sep 13, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/660654

Inventors:

Thomas Owen Mitchell - Redwood City CA
Andreas Berghaus - San Francisco CA

Assignee:

FEI Company - Hillsboro OR

International Classification:

G01N 2300

US Classification:

250306, 73105

Abstract:

A probe tip manufactured from a conically shaped quartz tip etched to a fine apex. The quartz tip is coated with about 1 m of a hard material such as silicon nitride. A probe tip having dimensions of about 100 nmÃ1 m is then machined from the hard material adjacent to the apex of the quartz tip along the axis of the quartz tip. The machining is preferably performed by focused ion beam milling.

US Patent:

20030197123, Oct 23, 2003

Filed:

Apr 10, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/411586

Inventors:

Thomas Mitchell - Redwood City CA, US
Charles Bryson - Santa Clara CA, US
Andreas Berghaus - San Francisco CA, US
Vahe Sarkissian - Saratoga CA, US

International Classification:

G12B001/02

US Classification:

250/306000, 073/105000

Abstract:

A probe having a probe tip, especially for use in an atomic force microscope, formed by micromachining techniques in a silicon wafer. The tip is photolithographically defined in a layer, preferably of silicon nitride deposited on the silicon wafer, and has a width and thickness of usually less than 250 nm. Thereby, the probe tip can be formed to have a generally square cross section in which one lateral dimension is determined by the layer thickness, and the other lateral dimension by the photolithography or by a subsequent step of focused ion beam milling. The portion of the silicon wafer underlying the area probe tip is etched away, preferably before the probe tip is etched, but another portion of the silicon is left to serve as a support at the base of the probe tip. A hinge may be formed in the silicon wafer, and the probe tip together with a robust shank can be made to rotate to a direction perpendicular to the wafer surface.

US Patent:

62441035, Jun 12, 2001

Filed:

Dec 16, 1999

Appl. No.:

9/465494

Inventors:

Andreas Berghaus - San Francisco CA
Charles E. Bryson - Santa Clara CA
John J. Plombon - San Francisco CA

Assignee:

Surface/Interface, Inc. - Sunnyvale CA

International Classification:

G01B 2130

US Classification:

73105

Abstract:

A method and apparatus associated with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to more accurately measure the height of a microscopic feature in a substrate, particularly one having a sloping face. The probe tip is sequentially positioned at a number of vertical positions approaching the surface being probed. At each vertical position, a vertical force encountered by the probe tip is measured, and the measured force is stored in a memory together with its corresponding vertical position. When the measured force exceeds a threshold force, the downward movement is stopped, and the accumulated force and position data are analyzed. A controller fits the data to two curves, for example, two linear relationships in force vs. height. One curve is associated with the lower forces away from the surface, the other curve with the higher forces after initial engagement with the surface. The intersection of the two curves gives the height of the feature in the surface.