Holder for a sampling tip of a scanning probe microscope

摘要

A holder is described for a sampling tip (Figure 2, reference numeral 1) of a scanning probe microscope, which serves to sample the topography of a sample surface up to atomic resolution. The movement of the sampling tip is determined interferometrically. For this purpose, a light-beam conductor (7) is used whose light-beam exit (10) is arranged stationary at a small distance (9) from the sampling tip, which moves relative to the light-beam exit, in such a manner that by means of an interferometer the interference between the light beam reflected at the light-beam exit and a light beam reflected from the sampling tip can be measured. So as to facilitate the adjusting and the replacement of the sampling tip, the light-beam conductor (7) is guided in a ferrule, which is mounted on the holder and has a ferrule head (8), and the sampling tip (1) is fastened to the ferrule in such a manner that the light-beam exit (10) is at a predetermined distance from the sampling tip after the assembly of the ferrule.