阅读说明：本技术 控制探针尖端倾斜角度的扫描探针系统 (Scanning probe system for controlling inclination angle of probe tip ) 是由 安德鲁·汉弗里斯 于 2018-04-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用探针扫描特征的方法,探针包括悬臂支架、从悬臂支架延伸到自由端的悬臂以及由悬臂的自由端承载的探针尖端。测量探针相对于参考表面的定向以生成探针定向测量结果；参考表面限定垂直于参考表面的参考表面轴线,探针尖端相对于参考表面轴线具有参考倾斜角；根据探针定向测量结果改变悬臂的形状,使得探针尖端相对于悬臂支架移动,参考倾斜角从第一参考倾斜角减小到第二参考倾斜角。采用探针扫描样品表面,其中,样品表面限定垂直于样品表面的样品表面轴线,探针尖端具有相对于样品表面轴线的扫描倾斜角。在扫描样品表面期间,移动悬臂支架,使得探针尖端以小于第一参考倾斜角的扫描倾斜角插入到样品表面中的特征中。(A method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever. Measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement; the reference surface defining a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface, the probe tip having a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis; the shape of the cantilever is changed in accordance with the probe orientation measurement so that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever support, the reference tilt angle decreasing from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle. Scanning a sample surface with a probe, wherein the sample surface defines a sample surface axis perpendicular to the sample surface, and the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle with respect to the sample surface axis. During scanning of the sample surface, the cantilever is moved such that the probe tip is inserted into a feature in the sample surface at a scanning tilt angle that is less than the first reference tilt angle.)

1. A method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising:

measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface, the probe tip having a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis;

changing the shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement such that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever mount and the reference tilt angle decreases from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle; and

scanning a sample surface with the probe, wherein the sample surface defines a sample surface axis perpendicular to the sample surface, and the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle relative to the sample surface axis, during scanning of the sample surface, moving the cantilever to insert the probe tip into a feature in the sample surface at the scanning tilt angle, the scanning tilt angle being less than the first reference tilt angle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during scanning the sample surface, the cantilever is moved such that the probe tip is inserted into the feature in the sample surface at the scanning tilt angle, the scanning tilt angle being substantially fixed at the second tilt angle.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein a first driver translates the outrigger in accordance with a first drive signal; and a second driver changes the shape of the cantilever according to a second drive signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein scanning the sample surface comprises:

controlling the first drive signal such that the first driver repeatedly drives the cantilever support towards and away from the sample surface in a series of cycles;

generating a surface signal for each cycle upon detecting interaction of the probe tip with the sample surface; and

modifying the second drive signal in response to receipt of the surface signal, the modification of the second drive signal causing the second driver to change the shape of the cantilever such that the probe tip is retracted from the sample surface, wherein, for each cycle, there is a proximity phase before generating the surface signal in which the first driver moves the cantilever support and the probe tip toward the sample surface and a retraction phase after generating the surface signal in which the first driver moves the cantilever support and the probe tip away from the sample surface.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the first driver is a linear actuator that extends in a substantially straight line when the probe tip is inserted into the feature.

6. The method of any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the second drive signal is substantially fixed when the probe tip is inserted into the feature.

7. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the cantilever is substantially fixed in shape when the probe tip is inserted into the feature.

8. A method according to any preceding claim in which the probe tip is inserted into the feature at the scanning tilt angle which is less than 50%, 30% or 10% of the first tilt angle.

9. A method according to any preceding claim in which the probe tip is inserted into the feature at the scanning tilt angle which is less than 1 degree, preferably less than 0.5 degrees, most preferably less than 0.1 degrees.

10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein measuring the orientation of the probe relative to the reference surface to generate the probe orientation measurement comprises interacting with the reference surface.

11. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the orientation of the probe tip relative to the reference surface is measured to generate the probe orientation measurement.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the orientation of the probe tip relative to the reference surface is measured by:

scanning the reference surface with the probe to generate a data set;

analyzing the dataset to identify asymmetric features in the dataset; and

determining an asymmetry in the asymmetric feature to generate the probe orientation measurement.

13. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the orientation of the cantilever relative to the reference surface is measured to generate the probe orientation measurement.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the orientation of the cantilever relative to the reference surface is measured by:

illuminating the reference surface with a sensing beam via a lens such that the sensing beam is reflected by the reference surface, generating a beam reflected from the reference surface;

collecting a beam reflected from the reference surface with the lens and directing the beam reflected from the reference surface onto a position sensitive detector that generates a reference measurement indicative of a position of the beam reflected from the reference surface on the position sensitive detector;

illuminating the cantilever with the sensing light beam such that the sensing light beam is reflected by the cantilever, generating a light beam reflected from the cantilever;

collecting a beam reflected from the cantilever with the lens and directing the beam reflected from the cantilever to the position sensitive detector, the position sensitive detector generating a cantilever measurement indicative of a position of the beam reflected from the cantilever on the position sensitive detector; and

and generating the probe orientation measurement result according to the reference measurement result and the cantilever measurement result.

15. The method of any preceding claim, wherein altering the shape of the cantilever comprises flexing and/or twisting the cantilever.

16. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the feature has an entrance and a bottom, a depth D from the entrance to the bottom, a width W at the entrance, and an aspect ratio D/W, the aspect ratio D/W being greater than 1, 2, 5 or 10.

17. The method of any preceding claim wherein the probe tip has a root and a tip, a length L from the root to the substrate, a maximum width W, and an aspect ratio L/W, the aspect ratio L/W being greater than 5, 10 or 15.

18. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the feature has an inlet, a base and a pair of opposed side walls extending from the inlet to the base.

19. A method of orienting a cantilever relative to a reference surface, the method comprising:

illuminating the reference surface with a sensing beam via a lens such that the sensing beam reflects from the reference surface, generating a beam reflected from the reference surface;

collecting a beam reflected from the reference surface with the lens and directing the beam reflected from the reference surface onto a position sensitive detector that generates a reference measurement indicative of a position of the beam reflected from the reference surface on the position sensitive detector;

illuminating the cantilever with the sensing beam, causing the sensing beam to reflect from the cantilever, generating a beam reflected from the cantilever;

collecting a beam reflected from the cantilever with the lens and directing the beam reflected from the cantilever to the position sensitive detector, the position sensitive detector generating a cantilever measurement indicative of a position of the beam reflected from the cantilever on the position sensitive detector;

changing an orientation of the cantilever relative to the reference surface; and

controlling changing an orientation of the cantilever according to the reference measurement and the cantilever measurement such that the cantilever becomes oriented at a predetermined angle with respect to the reference surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the reference surface is located in a focal plane of the lens when the reference surface reflects the sensing beam; and, the method further comprises: moving the lens such that the cantilever is located within the focal plane of the lens when the cantilever reflects the sensing light beam.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the cantilever is positioned in the focal plane of the lens by:

combining the beam reflected from the cantilever with a reference beam in an interferometer to generate an interferogram;

measuring the interferogram and generating an interferometer output;

monitoring the contrast of the interferometer output;

moving the lens such that the contrast is maximized; and

positioning the reference surface in the focal plane of the lens by:

combining the beam reflected from the reference surface with the reference beam in the interferometer to generate an interferogram;

measuring the interferogram and generating an interferometer output;

monitoring the contrast of the interferometer output;

moving the lens such that the contrast is maximized.

22. An apparatus for scanning a sample surface with a probe, the apparatus comprising:

a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever;

a first driver configured to translate the outrigger;

a tilt controller configured to generate a tilt control signal;

a second driver configured to change a shape of the cantilever according to the tilt control signal; and

a measurement system configured to measure an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface, generate a probe orientation measurement,

wherein the probe tip has a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface;

the tilt controller is configured to receive the probe orientation measurement from the measurement system and control the tilt control signal such that the second driver changes the shape of the cantilever in accordance with the probe orientation measurement, the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever support, the reference tilt angle decreases from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle;

the sample surface defining a sample surface axis perpendicular to the sample surface;

the first driver is configured to move the cantilever support such that the probe tip is inserted into a feature in the sample surface; and the number of the first and second groups,

the tilt controller is configured to control the tilt control signal such that the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle relative to the sample surface axis when the probe tip is inserted into the feature, the scanning tilt angle being less than the first tilt angle.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the first driver is a linear actuator that extends in a substantially straight line when the probe tip is inserted into the feature.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 or 23, wherein the second driver is configured to change the shape of the cantilever by flexing and/or twisting the cantilever.

25. A method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising:

measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface, the probe tip having a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis;

changing the shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement such that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever mount and the reference tilt angle decreases from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle;

scanning a feature with the probe, wherein the feature surface defines a feature axis and the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle relative to the feature axis, during scanning of the sample surface, moving the cantilever support such that the probe tip is inserted into the feature at the scanning tilt angle, the scanning tilt angle being less than the first reference tilt angle.

26. A method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising:

measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface and the probe tip has an oblique angle relative to the reference surface axis;

changing the shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement such that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever mount and the tilt angle decreases from a first tilt angle to a second tilt angle; and

scanning a sample surface with the probe, wherein, during the scanning of the sample surface, the cantilever is moved such that the probe tip is inserted into a feature in the sample surface, wherein the probe tip is substantially fixed at the second tilt angle.

27. A method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising:

measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface and the probe tip has a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis;

changing a shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement such that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever support, the reference tilt angle decreases from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle, and the shape of the cantilever changes to a scanning shape; and

scanning a feature with the probe, wherein during scanning the sample surface, the cantilever support is moved such that the probe tip is inserted into the feature, wherein a shape of the cantilever is substantially fixed to the scanned shape.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method of scanning a feature with a probe and a corresponding apparatus, and a method of orienting a cantilever relative to a reference surface.

Background

WO2016/198606 describes a known scanning probe system. The system has a probe including a cantilever extending from a base to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever. The first driver is provided with a first driver input, the first driver being arranged to drive the probe in accordance with a first drive signal at the first driver input. The second driver is provided with a second driver input, the second driver being arranged to drive the probe in accordance with a second drive signal at the second driver input. The control system is arranged to control the first drive signal to cause the first driver to drive the base of the cantilever towards and away from the surface of the sample repeatedly in a series of cycles. The surface detector is arranged to generate a surface signal for each cycle when it detects interaction of the probe tip with the surface of the sample. The control system is further arranged to modify the second drive signal in response to the surface signal received from the surface detector, the modification of the second drive signal causing the second driver to control the probe tip.

US2014/0289911 discloses a method of observing the surface of a sample. The probe is brought into close proximity with and scanned over a first sample. A response of the probe to its interaction with the sample is monitored using a detection system, and a first data set indicative of the response is acquired. The probe and/or sample are tilted at an angle. After the tilting step, the probe is scanned over the first sample or the second sample, the response of the probe to its interaction with the scanned sample is monitored using the detection system, and a second data set indicative of the response is acquired. The method comprises the additional step of analysing the first data set to determine the tilt angle prior to tilting the probe and/or sample.

US2017/0016932 discloses a probe system comprising a probe having a first arm and a second arm and a probe tip carried by the first arm and the second arm. The illumination system is arranged to deform the probe by illuminating at a first actuation position of the first arm and at a second actuation position of the second arm, respectively, with respective illumination powers. The actuation controller is arranged to control the irradiation power at each actuation position independently so as to control the height and tilt angle of the probe and thus the height and lateral position of the tip. The first and second arms are mirror images of each other on opposite sides of a plane of symmetry through the probe tip. A detection system is also disclosed which not only generates a height signal by measuring the height of the probe tip, but also generates a tilt signal by measuring the tilt angle of the probe from which the lateral position of the tip can be determined.

WO2015/197398 describes a method of inspecting a sample surface using a probe tip carried on a cantilever. If the probe tip scans a portion of a sample surface having a high aspect ratio, the cantilever will twist, tilting the probe tip.

US2008/0223117 describes another known scanning probe microscope.

US2017/0059609 describes an optical axis adjustment method for a scanning probe microscope.

Disclosure of Invention

A first aspect of the invention provides a method according to claim 1 and an apparatus according to claim 22. In WO2015/197398, the probe tip angle is increased to scan high aspect ratio features, whereas in a first aspect of the invention, the probe tip is inserted into a feature of the sample surface at a reduced scan tilt angle. The method in WO2015/197398 is suitable for scanning protruding high aspect ratio features because a tilted probe tip can access the protruding feature from the side without colliding with another part of the sample surface. It has been appreciated, however, that the method of WO2015/197398 is not suitable for scanning recessed features such as trenches, holes, wells or pits, as the tip of a probe, which is tilted during insertion, will collide with the lip of the recessed feature. Thus, to avoid such collisions, the tilt angle of the probe tip is reduced in the method of the first aspect of the invention to insert into a feature in the sample surface.

The orientation of the probe relative to the reference surface is measured prior to insertion of the probe tip to generate a probe orientation measurement. The reference surface may be a portion of the surface of a sample or the surface of a reference specimen. The shape of the cantilever is changed in accordance with the probe orientation measurement to move the probe tip relative to the cantilever support, the reference tilt angle of the probe tip relative to the reference surface decreasing from the first tilt angle to the second tilt angle. At its most basic, the probe orientation measurement may only be used to determine the direction of pivoting of the probe tip required to reduce the reference tilt angle. For example, the probe orientation measurement may be used to determine whether to twist the cantilever clockwise or counterclockwise to decrease the reference tilt angle. Alternatively, the probe orientation measurement may be used to determine the magnitude of the pivoting of the probe tip required to minimise the reference tilt angle-ideally the reference tilt angle is reduced to zero so that the probe tip does not tilt when inserted into the feature.

The sample surface defines a sample surface axis perpendicular to the sample surface, and the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle relative to the sample surface axis. Typically, the sample surface axis is substantially parallel to the reference surface axis. During scanning of the sample surface, the cantilever is moved so that the probe tip is inserted into the feature in the sample surface at a scanning tilt angle that is at least less than the first reference tilt angle, and preferably the scanning tilt angle is substantially less than the first reference tilt angle. Typically, the probe tip is substantially fixed at a second reference tilt angle relative to the sample surface axis when inserted into the feature, optionally with small dithering oscillations on either side of the second reference tilt angle.

The scan tilt angle may remain fixed throughout the scan or may be varied, for example by retracting the probe rapidly after insertion into the feature.

Typically, measuring the orientation of the probe relative to the reference surface to generate the probe orientation measurement includes interacting with the reference surface, for example, by optically measuring the orientation of the reference surface (e.g., by reflecting the sensing beam off the reference surface) or by scanning the reference surface with the probe.

The probe orientation measurement may be a direct measurement of the orientation of the probe tip, or the probe orientation measurement may also be a measurement of the orientation of the cantilever from which the orientation of the probe tip can be inferred.

Changing the shape of the cantilever may include flexing the cantilever, twisting the cantilever, or simultaneously or sequentially flexing or twisting the cantilever. Preferably, the cantilever can be flexed and twisted, as flexing and twisting the cantilever enables control of the tilt angle, and minimizing the tilt angle in both axes. Alternatively, the deflection and torsion of the cantilever can be separately and independently controlled.

Further preferred features of the first aspect of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

A second aspect of the invention provides a method of orienting a cantilever according to claim 19. A second aspect provides an optical method of orienting a cantilever before scanning a recessed feature such as a trench, hole, well or pit with a probe tip as in the first aspect of the invention.

Preferred features of the second aspect of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising: measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface, the probe tip having a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis; changing the shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement to move the probe tip relative to the cantilever support, the reference tilt angle decreasing from a first reference tilt angle to a second reference tilt angle; scanning a feature with a probe, wherein the feature defines a feature axis and the probe tip has a scanning tilt angle relative to the feature axis, during scanning of a sample surface, moving the cantilever support to insert the probe tip into the feature at the scanning tilt angle, the scanning tilt angle being less than a first reference tilt angle.

The characteristic axis is typically perpendicular to the sample surface, but alternatively the characteristic axis may be inclined at an oblique angle to the sample surface.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising: measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface, the probe tip having an oblique angle relative to the reference surface axis; changing the shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement to cause the probe tip to move relative to the cantilever support and the tilt angle to decrease from the first tilt angle to the second tilt angle; scanning the sample surface with the probe, wherein during the scanning of the sample surface, the cantilever support is moved to insert the probe tip into the feature in the sample surface, wherein the probe tip is substantially fixed at the second oblique angle. The tilt angle is typically fixed within a range of ± 0.1 degrees — that is, the tilt angle may vary slightly since the amplitude of the dithering oscillation is not greater than 0.1 degrees.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides a method of scanning a feature with a probe comprising a cantilever support, a cantilever extending from the cantilever support to a free end, and a probe tip carried by the free end of the cantilever, the method comprising: measuring an orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface to generate a probe orientation measurement, wherein the reference surface defines a reference surface axis perpendicular to the reference surface, the probe tip having a reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface axis; changing a shape of the cantilever according to the probe orientation measurement result to move the probe tip relative to the cantilever holder, the reference tilt angle decreasing from the first reference tilt angle to the second reference tilt angle, and the shape of the cantilever changing to a scanning shape; the feature is scanned with a probe, wherein during scanning of the sample surface the cantilever support is moved to insert the probe tip into the feature, wherein the shape of the cantilever is substantially fixed to the scanning shape. Generally, the scan shape is fixed within a range of ± 0.1 degrees — that is, since the amplitude of the dither oscillation is not more than 0.1 degrees, the scan shape may be changed so that the tilt angle of the probe is slightly changed.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a scanning probe microscope system;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a probe with a rectangular cantilever;

FIG. 3 shows an end view of the probe of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a probe with a two-arm cantilever;

FIG. 5 shows an alternative configuration of a probe tip;

FIG. 6 shows the detector in detail;

FIG. 7a shows an optical measurement of a reference surface;

FIG. 7b shows two positions of a beam reflected from a reference surface on a segmented photodiode;

FIG. 8a shows an optical measurement of a cantilever;

FIG. 8b shows the position of the beam reflected from the cantilever on the segmented photodiode after the cantilever is bent down the desired cantilever angle;

FIG. 9 shows an alternative optical measurement of the cantilever;

FIG. 10 illustrates adjustment of probe tilt angle by twisting the cantilever;

FIG. 11a shows the probe tip tilted at a first reference tilt angle relative to a reference surface;

FIG. 11b shows the position of a beam reflected from the cantilever on the segmented photodiode when the probe tip is tilted at a first reference tilt angle;

FIG. 12a shows the probe tip tilted at a second reference tilt angle relative to the reference surface;

FIG. 12b shows the position of the beam reflected from the cantilever on the segmented photodiode when the probe tip is tilted at a second reference tilt angle;

figure 13a shows the probe tip scanning the trace of a groove in the sample surface;

FIG. 13b shows the groove axis;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a cantilever inserted into a trench with the probe tip tilted at a low or zero scan tilt angle relative to the sample surface axis and the trench axis;

FIG. 15 shows the probe tip interacting with the bottom of the trench and rapidly retracting due to the straightening of the cantilever;

FIG. 16 shows the dithering of the cantilever during surface inspection;

FIG. 17 is an end view of a cantilever inserted into a trench with the probe tip tilted at a low or zero scan tilt angle relative to the sample surface;

FIG. 18 shows a probe tip interacting with the bottom of the trench and retracting rapidly due to twisting the cantilever;

fig. 19 shows the trace of the probe tip scanning groove as shown in fig. 17 and 18; and

fig. 20 and 21 show an alternative probe orientation measurement process in which the probe tip scans a symmetrical groove or other concave feature.

Detailed Description

A scanning probe microscope system according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in fig. 1. The system comprises a first driver 4 and a probe comprising a cantilever 2 and a probe tip 3. The bottom of the first drive 4 carries a cantilever support 13, wherein the cantilever 2 extends from the cantilever support 13 from a proximal end or base 2a to a distal free end 2 b. The free end 2b of the cantilever 2 carries a probe tip 3.

The probe tip 3 comprises a conical or pyramidal structure that tapers from its base to a point at its distal end, which is the closest point at which the probe tip 3 interacts with the sample 7 on the sample stage 11 a. The axis of the probe tip 3 is shown extending vertically (i.e. in the Z direction based on the reference coordinate system shown in figure 1). The sample comprises a sample surface defining a sample surface axis 7a perpendicular to the sample surface, the sample surface axis 7a also extending vertically in fig. 1. The boom 2 shown in the top view of fig. 2 comprises a single span beam with a rectangular profile extending from the boom housing 13. The cantilever 2 has a length of about 20 microns, a width of about 10 microns and a thickness of about 200 nm.

The cantilever 2 is a thermal bimorph structure composed of two (or more) materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion, typically silicon or silicon nitride substrates with gold or aluminum coatings. The coating extends the length of the cantilever and covers the back of the tip 3. An illumination system (in the form of a laser 30) controlled by an actuation controller 33 is arranged to illuminate the cantilever with an intensity modulated spot of radiation 15 on the upper coating side of the cantilever.

The cantilever 2 is formed of a unitary structure of uniform thickness. For example, the monolithic structure may be fabricated by selectively etching SiO as described in Albrecht, Akamine, S, Carver, T.E., Quate, C.F.J., Microsimulation of canvas style for the atomic microprocessor, Vac.Sci.Technol.A 1990,8,3386 (hereinafter "Albrecht et al")₂Or SiN₄A thin film is formed. As described by Albrecht et al, the tip 3 may be integrally formed with the cantilever, may be formed by an additive process (e.g., e-beam deposition), or may be separately formed and attached by an adhesive (or other attachment method).

The wavelength of the actuation beam 32 is chosen to be well absorbed by the coating so that the cantilever 2 bends along its length and moves the probe tip 3. In this embodiment the coating is on the opposite side of the sample such that cantilever 2 bends downwards towards the sample when heated, but alternatively the coating may be on the same side of the sample such that cantilever 2 bends away from the sample when heated.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the cantilever 2 comprises a first cantilever spoke 2a and a second cantilever spoke 2 b. The cantilevered spokes extend from the outrigger 13, having proximal ends carried by the outrigger and free distal ends remote from the outrigger. The distal ends of the cantilever beams 2a, 2b are joined by a bridge 14 having a probe tip 3 disposed on the underside thereof. The first and second lasers controlled by the actuation controller 33 are arranged to irradiate the cantilever radiation 2a, 2b with respective intensity-modulated first and second radiation spots 15a, 15b at respective first and second actuation positions on the coating side. The tip support structure has a plane of symmetry 16 through the probe tip 10, and the spots of radiation 15a, 15b at the first and second actuation positions are symmetrically located on opposite sides of the plane of symmetry 16.

The actuation controller 33 outputs a first control signal a1 to the first laser which controls the power of the first spot of radiation 15a accordingly, and likewise the actuation controller 33 outputs a second control signal a2 to the second laser which controls the power of the second spot of radiation 15b accordingly, a 2. The two different control signals A1 and A2 independently control the power of the two spots of radiation 15a, 15b so as to be in two orthogonal axes (θ)_YZAnd theta_XZ) The tilt angle of the probe 3 is adjusted separately as described in more detail in US2017/0016932, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Alternatively, the coating of the two cantilever beams may be on opposite sides: that is, the coating on the cantilever web 2a may be located on its upper side (the side opposite the sample) so that the cantilever web 2a will bend towards the sample when heated, and the coating on the cantilever web 2b is located on its lower side (the same side as the sample) so that the cantilever web 2b bends in the opposite direction to the sample when heated.

Returning to fig. 1, the first driver 4 is a piezoelectric actuator that expands and contracts up and down in the Z-direction according to a first drive signal at a first driver input 5. The first drive signal causes the first driver 4 to repeatedly move the probe towards and away from the sample 7 in a series of cycles, as described further below. The first drive signal is generated by the first controller 8. Typically, the first driver 4 is mechanically guided by a flexure (not shown in the figures).

The interferometric detector 80 is arranged to detect the height of the free end 2b of the cantilever 2 opposite the probe tip 3. Fig. 1 only schematically shows the detector 80, and fig. 6 gives a more detailed view. A beam splitter 102 splits the light 100 from the laser 101 into a sensing beam 103 and a reference beam 104. Reference beam 104 is directed onto an appropriately positioned retroreflector 120 and then returned to beam splitter 102. Retroreflector 120 is aligned so that its vertical (Z) position relative to sample 7 provides a fixed optical path. The beam splitter 102 has an energy absorbing coating and separates both the incident beam 103 and the reference beam 104, generating a first and a second interferogram with a relative phase shift of 90 degrees. The two interferograms are detected at the first photodetector 121 and the second photodetector 122, respectively.

Ideally, the outputs from the photodetectors 121, 122 are complementary sine and cosine signals with a phase difference of 90 degrees. Also, they should have no dc offset, equal amplitude, and depend only on the position of the cantilever and the wavelength of the laser 101. When the optical path difference changes, the outputs of the photodetectors 121, 122 can be monitored using existing methods to determine and correct for errors due to the outputs of the two photodetectors not being perfectly harmonic (of equal amplitude and in phase quadrature). Similarly, the dc offset level may also be corrected according to methods known in the art.

These photodetector outputs are suitable for use with conventional interferometer reversible fringe counting and fringe subdividing devices 123, which may be provided as dedicated hardware, FPGAs, DSPs or programmed computers. The phase quadrature fringe counting device is capable of measuring the displacement of the cantilever position to an accuracy of lambda/8. Namely, it is 66nm for 532nm light. Existing fringe subdivision techniques based on signal arctangent allow for improved accuracy to the nanometer scale or less. In the above embodiment, the reference beam 104 is set to have a fixed optical path length with respect to the Z position of the sample 7. It may therefore reflect from the surface of the stage 11a carrying the sample 7 or from a retro-reflector (whose position is related to the position of the stage). The reference optical path may be greater or less than the optical path followed by the light beam 103 reflected from the probe. Alternatively, the relationship between the reflector and the sample Z position need not be fixed. In such embodiments, the reference beam may be reflected from a fixed point having a known (but varying) relationship to the Z position of the sample. The height of the tip is therefore deduced from the interferometric optical path difference and the Z position of the sample relative to a fixed point.

The interferometric detector 80 is one example of a homodyne system. The particular system described provides a number of advantages for this application. The use of two phase quadrature interferograms enables measurement of cantilever displacement over multiple fringes and thus over a large displacement range. Examples of interferometers based on these principles are described in US6678056 and WO 2010/067129. Alternatively, an interferometer system capable of measuring changes in optical path length may also be employed. A suitable homodyne polarising interferometer is described in EP 1892727 and a suitable heterodyne polarising interferometer is described in US 5144150.

Returning to fig. 1, the output of the detector 80 is a height signal on the height detection line 20, which is input to the surface height calculator 21 and the surface detection unit 22. The surface detection unit 22 is arranged to generate a surface signal on the surface detector output line 23 for each cycle upon interaction of the detection probe tip 3 with the sample 7.

The reflected beam is also split by the beam splitter 106 into a first component 107 and a second component 110. The first component 107 is directed to a segmented four quadrant photodiode 108 via a lens 109 and the second component 110 is split by the beam splitter 102 and directed to photodiodes 121, 122 to generate a height signal on output line 20. The photodiode 108 generates an angle signal 124 indicative of the position of the first component 107 of the reflected beam on the photodiode 108 and varying according to the tilt angle of the cantilever with respect to the sensing beam 103.

Fig. 7-9 illustrate a method of measuring and orienting the reflective upper surface of cantilever 2 relative to a reference surface 90 on sample stage 11 a. The reference surface 90 may be a part of the sample 7 on the sample stage 11a or may be a surface of a separate reference sample on the sample stage 11 a. If a separate reference sample is used, it may be located on one side of the sample stage 11a so that the sample 7 and the reference sample are located on the sample stage 11a simultaneously. Alternatively, the reference sample may be removed after the cantilever 2 is oriented (as described below) and then the upper sample 7 replaced on the sample stage 11a for scanning.

As shown in fig. 6, the lens 105 is first moved in the Z-direction by the lens driver 81 until the reference surface 90 is located in the front focal plane of the lens, as shown in fig. 7 a. This focusing step can be accomplished by measuring the contrast of the interferometer output 20 and adjusting the Z position of the lens 105 until the contrast is maximized. In other words, as the lens 105 moves, the photodetectors 121, 122 will generate signals that increase and decrease as the interferogram passes through the minimum and maximum interference positions. The difference in intensity between the maximum and minimum is the interferometer contrast, which reaches a maximum when the sample 7 is located at the front focal plane of the lens. Other methods (e.g. intensity measurements) may also be employed to place the surface of the sample 7 in the front focal plane of the lens.

As shown in fig. 7a, the sensing light beam 103 passes through the lens 105 and reflects from the reference surface 90 to form a reflected light beam 111a, the reflected light beam 111a from the reference surface 90 being directed onto the four-quadrant photodiode 108. As shown in FIG. 7b, the reflected beam 111a is offset from the center of the quadrant photodiode 108 by a distance D1, the detector driver 82 moves the detector 80 laterally relative to the lens 105 by this distance D1 so that the sensing beam 103 moves by the distance D1 (as shown in FIG. 7 a), and the reflected beam is shifted to position 111b so that the reflected beam 111a falls at the center of the quadrant photodiode 108 as shown in FIG. 7 b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8a, the probe is introduced and the lens 105 is moved upward so that the reflective upper surface of the cantilever 2 is in the focal plane of the lens 105 instead of the reference surface 90. Again, focusing is achieved by monitoring the contrast measured by the interferometer.

The position of the beam reflected from the cantilever on the photodiode 108 as indicated by the angle signal 124 provides a probe orientation measurement result, that is, the angle signal 124 provides an indication of the orientation of the plane 2c tangent to the reflective upper surface of the cantilever 2 relative to the reference surface 90. thus, if the plane 2c is parallel to the reference surface 90, the beam reflected from the cantilever will fall in the center of the photodiode 108. more typically, the plane 2c is not perfectly parallel to the reference surface 90, and thus the beam will be offset from the center of the photodiode 108. the direction and magnitude of this offset provides an indication of the direction and magnitude of the tilt between the plane 2c and the plane of the reference surface 90. finally, the shape of the cantilever 2 is adjusted based on the angle signal 124 so that the reflected beam falls at the desired position on the quadrant photodiode 108-the desired position on the photodiode 108 depends on the plane of the reference surface 90. therefore, if it is desired to have the plane 2c tangent to the reflective upper surface of the cantilever 2 directly above the probe tip 3 to the plane of the reference surface 108 to be parallel to the plane of the reference surface, the cantilever is adjusted to maintain the shape of the cantilever 2 to keep the cantilever at the focal point of the cantilever bending 358, then the lens 13, if it is desired to keep the cantilever 2c at the focal point of the cantilever 2D, then the cantilever 2a, then the focal point of the cantilever is moved to be less than the focal point of the lens 13, the cantilever 2a, the focal point of the cantilever is moved to be maintained as shown in the focal point of the cantilever 2a, thus, the cantilever 2a, the focal point of the cantilever 2, the focal point of the lens 13, the cantilever is moved.

The above orientation process is controlled by a tilt controller 38, shown in fig. 1, which is configured to generate a tilt control signal 39 based on the angle signal 124 and the offset distance D2, which is stored in memory 50 and associated with a particular probe or set of probes. The laser 30 (or lasers) is arranged to move the cantilever 2 in accordance with a second drive signal at a second driver input 31, which second drive signal is generated by a second controller 33. The tilt control signal 39 is input to the second controller 33 so that the laser 30 changes the shape of the cantilever according to the tilt control signal 39. The tilt controller 38 is configured to receive probe orientation measurements from the detector 80 via the angle signal 124 and to control the tilt control signal 39 so that the laser 30 changes the shape of the cantilever as desired. During the above orientation process, the shape of the cantilever changes to a curved shape as shown by the dashed line in fig. 8a, which is hereinafter referred to as the scanning shape of the cantilever. The cantilever is fixed in this curved scan shape for insertion into a high aspect ratio feature during subsequent scans described below.

In an alternative zeroing method shown in fig. 9, after performing the sample measurement procedure as shown in fig. 7a, the detector driver 82 moves the detector 80 laterally by an offset distance D2 with respect to the lens 105 such that the sensing beam 103 is shifted, the reflected beam is shifted to a position 111D, the position 111D being offset from the center of the four-quadrant photodiode 108 by a distance D2. The cantilever 2 is then bent downward under the control of the tilt control signal 39 until the reflected beam is displaced a distance D2, the reflected beam returning to the center of the four quadrant photodiode 108, the cantilever adopting the scanning shape shown in dashed lines in fig. 9.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the detector driver 82 receives the offset distance D2 from the memory 50 and moves the detector 80 accordingly. Note that the detector driver 82 may move the detector 80 not only in the Y direction as shown in fig. 6, but also in the X direction orthogonal to fig. 6.

At this point, the plane 2c tangent to the reflective upper surface of the cantilever 2 at a point directly above the probe tip 3 is at a known angle relative to the reference surface 90, assuming the probe tip 3 is correctly manufactured without defects, the angle of the axis 3a of the probe tip 3 relative to the plane 2c is known, so by appropriate selection of the distance D2, the cantilever can be tilted at the desired cantilever angle α, which means that the axis 3a of the probe tip is precisely oriented at right angles to the reference surface 90.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 8a, the plane 2c is tilted in the YZ-plane by bending the cantilever 2 along its length. A similar process can also be used to tilt the plane 2c in the XZ plane by twisting the cantilever until the reflected beam falls on the center of the four quadrant photodiode 108, as shown in fig. 10. This torsional movement of the cantilever can be achieved by driving the two radiation spots 15a, 15b of the cantilever in fig. 4 differently. Note that the torsion and deflection of the cantilever can be controlled independently of each other. Thus, they can be adjusted simultaneously to center the probe tip in both axes simultaneously or sequentially (one after the other). In the case of fig. 10, the shape of the cantilever 2 becomes a twisted (also bendable) scanning shape shown by a dotted line in fig. 10, and the cantilever 2 is fixed to the scanning shape for a subsequent scanning process described below.

As shown in fig. 11a and 12a, the reference surface 90 defines a reference surface axis 90a that is perpendicular to the reference surface 90. The axis 3a of the probe tip has a reference inclination angle with respect to this reference axis 90 a. In the above process, the orientation of the plane 2c tangential to the reflective upper surface of the cantilever 2 is measured relative to the reference surface 90 to generate a probe orientation measurement result, which is provided by the position of the beam reflected from the cantilever on the photodiode 108.

Fig. 11b shows the reflected beam position 111d and associated probe orientation measurement Δ corresponding to fig. 11a, and fig. 12b shows the reflected beam position 111e corresponding to fig. 12 a. The shape of the cantilever is changed according to the probe orientation measurement result delta to move the probe tip 3 relative to the cantilever holder 13, the reference inclination angle being from the first reference inclination angle theta shown in fig. 11a₁Decreases to the second reference inclination angle theta shown in fig. 12a₂. Ideally, the second reference inclination angle θ₂Zero so that the axis 3a of the probe tip is parallel to the reference surface axis 90a, but in practice the adjustment may be somewhat inaccurate with the second reference tilt angle θ₂Is non-zero, but has a magnitude greater than the first reference inclination angle theta₁Much smaller. Note that for illustrative purposes, angle θ₁And theta₂Is highly enlarged, and, in general, the first reference inclination angle theta₁Is of the order of several degrees, and ideally, the second reference inclination angle θ₂Less than 1 degree, less than 0.5 degree, or less than 0.1 degree.

The probe orientation measurement Δ from the photodiode 108 determines that the second reference tilt angle θ is minimized₂The magnitude and direction of the change in the desired tilt angle. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 12b, the cantilever flexes to generate a tilt angle reduction Δ θ in the YZ plane_yzAnd also twisted to produce a reduction in tilt angle Δ θ in the XZ plane_xz。

As mentioned above, the laser 30 is arranged to change the shape of the cantilever in dependence on a second drive signal at the second driver input 31, the second drive signal being generated by the second controller 33. As described in further detail below, the waveform generator 40 is arranged to receive a surface signal from the surface detector output line 23 and to modify a second drive signal on the second driver input 31 in response to the received surface signal, the modification of the second drive signal causing the second driver 30 to control the probe-more particularly to drive the probe in opposition to the first drive signal so as to decelerate the probe tip 3 at Z and then retract from the sample 7.

After orienting the probe tip 3 as described above, a scanning operation is performed to generate an image of the sample 7. The sample 7 is applied with XY raster scanning motion by a piezoelectric XY actuator 11 which moves a sample stage 11a carrying the sample 7 under the control of a scan controller 26 and an actuator controller 27.

FIG. 13a shows the trajectory of the tip of the probe tip when the probe tip 3 scans the groove 17 in the sample surface 7 g. the sample surface 7g is part of the upper surface of the sample 7 on the sample stage 11a shown in FIG. 1. the sample surface 7g defines a sample surface axis 7a perpendicular to the sample surface 7g, and the probe tip 3 has a scanning inclination angle β with respect to the sample surface axis 7 a. Note that the reference surface 90 used in the orientation process described above is also located on the sample stage 11a, and therefore the sample surface axis 7a can be assumed to be perfectly parallel to the reference surface axis 90 a. as shown in FIG. 13b, the groove 17 has a groove axis 17a that is parallel to the sample surface axis 7a, and therefore the groove axis 17a can also be assumed to be parallel to the reference surface axis 90 a.

Before generating the surface signal there is initially a tip approach phase 41 in which the first driver 4 moves the cantilever 2 and probe tip 3 vertically downwards towards the surface of the sample 7. in the tip approach phase 41, the cantilever is bent downwards in its scanning shape so that the axis of the tip 3 is substantially at right angles to the sample surface 7g and parallel to the sample surface axis 7 a-that is, the scanning tilt angle β is nearly zero-the trajectory of the tip 3 is a vertical straight line 41 because there is substantially no change in the tilt of the cantilever during the tip approach phase 41 and because the first driver 4 is a linear piezoelectric actuator which extends along a substantially straight line as the probe tip is inserted into the trench 17.

As described above, the XY raster scanning motion is imparted to the sample 7 by the piezoelectric XY actuator 11. Thus, in this embodiment, the relative horizontal movement between the probe and the sample 7 in the XY plane is generated by movement of the sample, not by movement of the probe. In another embodiment, relative motion in the XY plane may instead be generated by motion of the probe (the scanned sample remains stationary). The cyclic vertical motion applied by the first driver 4 has a frequency of the order of 10kHz and an amplitude of about 200 nm. The raster-scan horizontal motion imparted by the XY actuator 11 in the X direction has a frequency of 1-100Hz, and an amplitude of about 1 micron. Thus, the vertical (Z) motion is dominant and the raster scan horizontal motion is ignored in fig. 13 a. Instead of imparting a continuous raster scan motion, the XY actuator 11 may instead generate a stop and step motion in which each approach/retract cycle is performed at a static position (the XY actuator 11 imparts motion in the Z direction, while no motion is imparted in the X or Y direction). This may be preferable for very deep and narrow trenches that do not require XY motion in the measurement cycle.

The first drive signal varies at a substantially constant and predetermined rate during most of the time during the tip approach phase 41, so that the probe tip 3 moves towards the sample surface at a substantially constant speed.

Next, the surface detecting unit 22 detects the interaction of the probe tip 3 with the sample surface, and outputs a surface signal. The surface signal is generated by a resonance detection method that operates as follows. The waveform generator 40 provides a periodic dither signal that is tuned to the flexural or torsional resonance frequency of the cantilever 2. The dither signal is used to modulate the laser 30 or another photothermally actuated laser (not shown). The dither signal induces a periodic photo-thermal stress in the cantilever that excites periodic motion, typically of amplitude between 1-10nm and frequency in the order of MHz. Note that the amplitude of the periodic shaking motion is much lower than the amplitude of the non-resonant motion generated by the second drive signal on the second driver input 31. For example, the travel distance of the non-resonant motion may be 10-1000 times greater than the amplitude of the periodic dithering motion.

In the above embodiment the dither signal is tuned to the flexural or torsional resonance frequency of the cantilever 2, causing periodic resonant motion, but in an alternative embodiment the dither signal may be at a different frequency such that the dither motion is non-resonant.

The probe is advanced towards the surface until the tip 3 interacts with the surface, typically due to repulsive forces, but in principle any force interaction present may be employed. Thus, the amplitude, phase or frequency of the periodic dithering motion changes, which is detected by the surface detection unit 22 and causes the surface detection unit 22 to generate a surface signal. Accordingly, other detection schemes known in the art for resonance detection may also be applied. For example, torsional resonance may be employed and the torsional motion of the probe may be monitored.

In generating the surface signal, a surface height calculator 21 (or any other suitable measurement system) measures the surface height based on the output 20 of the interferometer. Each measurement of the surface height (once per cycle) is triggered by a surface signal and sent by the surface height calculator 21 to the data acquisition unit 25.

During the tip approach phase, the second drive signal is high, so the actuation beam 32 is in the on state and the cantilever has a downwardly curved scan shape as shown in fig. 14. The surface signal acts as a trigger for the waveform generator 40 to modify the second drive signal on the second driver input 31 so that the second drive signal changes from a high level to a low level (turning off the actuation beam 32). This modification of the second drive signal causes the cantilever 2 to cool and the probe tip 3 to retract from the scanned sample from the surface position 60 to the retracted position 61. During the cantilever retraction phase, immediately after the surface signal is generated, the cantilever changes shape by straightening as shown in fig. 15. This modification of the second drive signal causes the probe tip 3 to be rapidly withdrawn from the sample surface along a slightly curved trajectory 42.

In generating the surface signal, the waveform generator 40 modifies the first drive signal on the first driver input 5 such that the rate of change of the first drive signal gradually reverses polarity-in other words, in the retraction phase, the first driver 4 drives the cantilever's base 2a down and towards the sample, reversing to drive the cantilever's base 2a up and away from the sample. The first drive 4 then retracts the probe upwards away from the sample during the support retraction phase, during which the probe tip 3 moves along a vertical linear trajectory 43.

During the first part of the support retraction phase, the cantilever 2 straightens. Next, the waveform generator 40 resets the second drive signal, causing the actuation beam 32 to turn on again, and the cantilever 2 again bends down to its scanning shape, thereby causing the probe tip axis 3a to be again vertically oriented in preparation for the next cycle.

Fig. 16 is a graph showing the angle of the cantilever with respect to the sensing light beam 103 immediately before and after surface detection. As described above, a periodic dither signal is used to modulate the actuation beam 32 from the laser 30 or another photothermally actuated laser (not shown), which causes the cantilever to oscillate in a periodic dither motion, typically of the order of MHz at an amplitude between 1-10 nm. This periodic dithering motion can be seen in fig. 16, which shows three periods 70 of a full amplitude periodic dithering motion in free space, the interaction with the sample being such that the amplitude decreases during the next two periods 71 until the surface is detected and the cantilever rapidly straightens at a travel distance of about 100 nm. The straightened cantilever returns to a steady state amplitude of 1-10nm over multiple periods 72 (i.e., bounce, depending on the quality factor). The straightened cantilever then continues to oscillate with a full free-space amplitude of 1-10nm, as shown at 73.

The precise trajectory of the probe depends on many factors, such as the nature of the sample interaction and the speed of approach. The interaction may occur over more or fewer cycles than shown at 71 in fig. 16. There may also be a time constant associated with probe relaxation.

Due to the small amplitude periodic dithering motion of the probe tip, the angle of the cantilever oscillates slightly as the probe tip moves toward the sample surface, as shown at 70. However, as the probe tip moves towards the sample surface, the angle may be considered substantially constant because the amplitude of the dithering motion shown in FIG. 16 is small compared to the amplitude of the translation of the cantilever's substrate towards and away from the sample surface, which is typically about 500 and 1000nm, much larger than the 1-10nm amplitude of the dithering motion shown in FIG. 16. Similarly, the trajectory 42 of the probe tip during cantilever straightening is about 100nm and is therefore also much larger than the 1-10nm amplitude of the dithering motion shown in FIG. 16.

When the probe tip and the base of the cantilever are translated together towards the sample surface, the average angle 73 of the cantilever relative to the sensing beam and the sample 7 remains substantially constant, as this angle will oscillate rapidly on either side of the average 73 as shown in figure 16, with a frequency in the order of MHz, which is much higher than the translation frequency of the base of the cantilever towards and away from the sample surface (about 10 kHz). The same is true for the second drive signal, that is, the waveform generator 40 is arranged to control the second drive signal such that the average value of the second drive signal remains substantially constant as the probe tip and the base of the cantilever are translated together towards the sample surface.

In response to the received surface signal, the shape of the cantilever changes such that the angle of the cantilever relative to the sensing light beam 103 changes. In the embodiments presented above, the heating of the cantilever is reduced by turning off the actuation light beam 32 in response to the received surface signal. This causes the cantilever to adopt a more relaxed state (in this case, by straightening). In an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to increase the heating of the cantilever in response to a received surface signal, i.e. the actuation light beam 32 may be switched on instead of off.

The height signal from the interferometer 10 can be used both by the surface height calculator 21 to make measurements from the surface of the scanned sample and by the surface detection unit 22 to detect the interaction of the probe tip with the surface of the scanned sample. Alternatively, the height signal from the interferometer may be used by the surface height calculator 21 to make measurements from the surface of the scanned sample, but not by the surface detection unit 22 to detect the interaction of the probe tip with the sample surface. More specifically, the surface detection unit 22 uses the optical lever based angle signal 124 from the photodiode 108 to detect the interaction of the probe tip with the scanned sample surface. That is, the optical lever based angle signal 124 is used to detect the surface position, rather than the interferometer based height signal 20.

In this case, the system may selectively use a DC threshold detection method to generate the surface signal, rather than the resonance detection method described above with respect to fig. 16. The waveform generator 40 does not apply the dither signal, and the angle signal 124 is input to the surface detection unit 22. The segmented photodiode 108 is divided into a plurality of segments (typically four). If the angle of cantilever 2 changes, the position of the reflected beam on photodiode 108 also changes. Thus, the relative output of the segments of the segmented photodiode 108 gives an indication of the angle of the cantilever relative to the sensing light beam 103, which is output as an angle signal 124.

As mentioned above, during the approach phase 41, the angle of the cantilever 2 is substantially constant. The probe tip 3 interacts with the surface of the scanned sample, which causes the cantilever 2 to bend upwards. The surface detection unit 22 generates a surface signal when the change in the angle of the cantilever 2 (measured by the angle signal 124) is greater than a preset DC threshold.

The retraction trajectory 42 shown in fig. 13 is due to the cantilever being straightened along its length, so that a single-armed cantilever as shown in fig. 2 can be used. If a two-armed cantilever is used as shown in fig. 4, retraction can be generated by twisting the cantilever in the XZ plane, rather than straightening it in the YZ plane. This alternative approach is illustrated in fig. 17-19.

In summary, the following steps: in the initial orientation process shown in fig. 7a to 12b, the orientation of the probe relative to a reference surface 90 (the reference surface being part of a reference sample on the sample stage 11a, or part of the sample 7 on the sample stage 11 a) is measured to generate a probe orientation measurement Δ, the shape of the cantilever is changed (by flexing and/or twisting the cantilever) in accordance with the probe orientation measurement Δ such that the probe tip moves relative to the cantilever support 13, the reference inclination angle being from a first reference inclination angle θ₁Is decreased to the second reference inclination angle theta₂(may be zero). The sample surface 7g is then scanned with the probe, which scanning comprises the process shown in fig. 13a, in which the cantilever is moved downwards, so that the probe will be movedThe needle tip is inserted into a groove 17 or other recessed feature. The orientation process shown in figures 7a to 12b orients the axis 3a of the probe tip 3 such that it has a low or zero tilt angle θ₂. The second drive signal generated by the second controller 33 is substantially fixed (optionally with small jitter oscillations) when the probe is inserted into the groove 17, so that the shape of the cantilever is also substantially fixed to its scanning shape when the probe tip is inserted into the groove 17, and the scanning tilt angle remains small-the variation caused by jitter oscillations is small. Preferably, the scanning tilt angle is substantially zero (at least on average zero) relative to the sample surface axis 7a when the probe tip is inserted into the groove 17.

When the probe is inserted into the groove 17, the scanning inclination angle of the probe tip is at least lower than the first reference inclination angle θ₁Preferably, it is much lower than the first reference inclination angle, for example, less than the first reference inclination angle θ₁50%, 30%, 10%, 5% or 1%. For example, the scan tilt angle may be less than 1 degree, less than 0.5 degrees, or less than 0.1 degrees during insertion into the groove 17.

The scanning tilt angle of the probe tip increases slightly as the tip moves along the retraction trajectory 42, but returns to substantially zero as the probe tip 3 moves along the vertical linear retraction trajectory 43.

As shown in fig. 14, the groove 17 has an inlet 7c, a bottom 7d, and a pair of opposite side walls extending from the inlet to the bottom. The trench has a depth D from the entrance to the bottom, a width W at the entrance, and an aspect ratio D/W. In the example of FIG. 14, the aspect ratio D/W is about 1.5, but may be greater than 2, 5, or 10.

Similarly, the probe tip has a root and a tip, a length L from the root to the tip, a maximum diameter Wc at its root, and an aspect ratio L/Wc greater than 5, 10, or 15.

In the example of fig. 3, the high aspect ratio probe tips 3 are connected directly to the cantilever, but in the alternative example of fig. 5 (not drawn to scale) the probe tips 3 are high aspect ratio whiskers extending from the apex of a conical tip base 3 a.

In the example of fig. 5, the root diameter Wc of the probe tip 3 is 10nm, the length L is 200nm, and the aspect ratio L/W is 20. The length L of the probe tips 3 must be greater than the depth D of the trench and the width Wc must be less than the width W at the entrance 7c of the trench.

The method of WO2015/197398 is not suitable for scanning high aspect ratio recessed features such as trenches, holes, wells or pits because a highly inclined probe tip will collide with the lip 7e of the trench 7 where the sidewall of the trench intersects the sample surface 7 g. Therefore, in the above method, the scanning inclination angle of the probe tip is kept small so as to be inserted into the groove 17 and retracted from the groove 17, avoiding such collision with the lip 7 e. The dither motion of amplitude 1-10nm shown in fig. 16 produces only a small change in the scanning tilt angle of the probe tip 3, about 0.03 degrees, which does not cause the probe tip 3 to collide with the lip 7 e.

An optical calibration procedure for determining the tilt angle of the plane 2c of the reflective upper surface of the cantilever 2 at a point directly above the probe tip 3 is described above with reference to fig. 7a to 12 b. If the angle of the probe tip 3 relative to the plane 2c of the cantilever is not accurately known, a direct measurement of the tilt angle of the probe tip 3 can be performed by the following operations. Such direct measurement may be performed in addition to or as an alternative to the optical measurement method of fig. 7a to 12 b.

Fig. 20 and 21 show the probe tip 3 scanning a groove or other indentation in the reference surface. The trench has a symmetrical structure with opposing vertical sidewalls. In fig. 20, the probe tips 3 are offset from the sidewalls, while in fig. 21, the probe tips 3 are oriented vertically so that they are precisely aligned with the sidewalls.

The dashed lines in fig. 20 and 21 indicate the portions of the trenches that can be accessed by probe tips 3. A consequence of the misalignment in fig. 20 is that probe tips 3 cannot enter the area 150 on the left hand side of the trench, but they can enter the area on the right hand side of the trench. The result is that less information is collected on the left side of the trench. This asymmetry will be reflected in the reconstructed map of the reference surface.

The method of measuring and aligning the probe tip 3 is as follows. First, with a probe at a reference tilt angle θ₁Scanning the reference plane in its nominal "untilted" orientationTo generate a map of the reference surface. Many of the reference features (e.g., the trenches in fig. 20 and 21) are symmetrical and thus are expected to be so imaged. Thus, after the first scan is completed, the map of the reference surface obtained with the probe in this orientation will be analyzed. The presence of multiple features with common degrees of asymmetry indicates probe misalignment. The magnitude and direction of the misalignment can be calculated from the asymmetry of the imaged features. A compensatory tilt is then applied to the cantilever beam 2 to reduce the reference tilt angle, in the vertical direction, of the probe tip 3, as shown in figure 21. Alternatively, the cantilever may also be adjusted by a preset amount in the direction determined by analyzing the map of the first scan to reduce the asymmetry and acquire another image. This process may be repeated until the desired symmetric features in the image appear symmetrically in the image.

SPIP (see http:// www.imagemet.com) and Gwyddion (free and open source software) (see http:// gwydddion. net) of Image Metrology A/S are two Image processing packages that can be used to generate and analyze a sample map.

The asymmetry of the imaged feature can be determined by line profile analysis, that is, by extracting a line of data from the image and analyzing the line of data. The line data may be extracted along the scanning direction of the probe or in any direction, and may be an average value of a plurality of lines or an interpolation value to reduce noise.

Optionally, the asymmetry of the imaging feature may also be determined by tip shape characterization, illustratively as described in:

http:// gwydddion. net/documentation/user-guide-en/tip-fusion-artifacts. html; or

·J.S.Villarubia,J.Res.Natl.Inst.Stand.Technol.102(1997)425

Figure 21 shows the probe scanning the same surface feature when correctly aligned. In this case, the tip will move along a symmetrical path. The symmetry of this path is reflected in the image and it is then known that the probe is correctly aligned.

The reference surface has a known arrangement of features which are expected to generate characteristic signals in the data. Deviations between the observed and expected signals can be used to infer misalignment of the probe. Optionally, the reference surface has high aspect ratio features (e.g., trenches or peaks) with a higher aspect ratio (length/width) than the probe tips.

In the optical measurement process of fig. 11b, a probe orientation measurement Δ is obtained by reflecting the sensing beam off the cantilever. In the direct probe tip measurement procedure described above, the probe orientation measurement results are instead obtained by scanning the symmetrical features as in fig. 20 to generate a map of the reference surface, which is then analyzed to derive the probe orientation measurement results. The probe orientation measurements are used to infer and correct for misalignment of the probe relative to a reference surface.

As described in fig. 7-12 or fig. 21, once the probe has been oriented relative to the reference surface, multiple samples can be scanned without having to repeat the orientation process. The probe orientation process will be repeated periodically for a given probe and/or when the probe is replaced.

Each of the electronic components shown in the figures and described in the text (e.g., tilt controller 38; surface detector 22; surface height calculator 21; waveform generator 40; actuator controllers 8,33, 27; waveform generator 40; scan controller 26; data acquisition unit 25, etc.) may be implemented in hardware, software, or any other form (e.g., any combination of hardware and software). For example: a single Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) or multiple FPGAs or DSPs may implement all of the electronic components, or each electronic component may be implemented by a dedicated FPGA or DSP or any combination of FPGAs or DSPs.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the appended claims.