FAST SCANNING SPM SCANNER AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME

摘要

A high-bandwidth SPM tip scanner includes an objective (34) that is vertically movable within the scan head to increase the depth of focus for the sensing light beam. Movable optics permit targeting of the sensing light beam on the SPM's probe (12) and permit the sensing light beam to track the probe during scanning. The targeting and tracking permit the impingement of a small sensing light beam spot on the probe (12) under direct visual inspection of focused illumination beam of an optical microscope (32) integrated into the SPM (10) and, as a result, permits the use of a relatively small cantilever with a commensurately small resonant frequency. A high-bandwidth tip scanner constructed in this fashion has a fundamental resonant frequency greater than greater than 500 Hz and a sensing light beam spot minor diameter of less than 10 µm.