PROBE DRIVING METHOD, AND PROBE APPARATUS

摘要

A probe driving method and a probe driving apparatus, which can bring a probe into safe and efficient contact with a sample surface by monitoring the probe height. The information of the height of the probe from the sample surface is obtained either by detecting a probe shadow (54) cast just before the contact with the sample, or from a change in the relative positions between the probe image and the sample image, as formed when obliquely irradiated with an ion beam.