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JP-2026514205-A - Micromechanical beam

JP2026514205AJP 2026514205 AJP2026514205 AJP 2026514205AJP-2026514205-A

Abstract

The present invention provides a micromechanical beam for scanning probe measurement, lithography, etc., which extends longitudinally between a fixed end and a free end. The beam has a height along a height direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the height is smaller than the width along the width direction. Furthermore, the beam has a bent portion provided at the fixed end in the longitudinal direction of the beam, and a reinforcing portion provided between the bent portion in the longitudinal direction and the free end. The beam has a base element and a reinforcing structure provided on the base element within the reinforcing portion, and the reinforcing structure is configured to increase the bending stiffness of the beam within the reinforcing portion with respect to bending in the height direction. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3

Inventors

  • ランゲロー，イヴォ

Assignees

  • ナノ アナリティク ゲーエムベーハー
  • ネクセンサー

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20231026
Priority Date
20221026

Claims (20)

  1. A micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) for scanning probe measurement, lithography, etc., wherein the micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) extends longitudinally (3) between a fixed end (20) and a free end (22). The beam (1,600,650,700) has a height (12) along the height direction (5) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (3), and the height (12) is smaller than the width (11) along the width direction (4). The beam (1,600, 650, 700) has a bent portion (30) provided at the fixed end (20) in the longitudinal direction (3) of the beam (1,600, 650, 700), The beam (1,600, 650, 700) has a reinforcing portion (40) provided between the bent portion (30) and the free end (22) in the longitudinal direction (3), The beam (1,600,650,700) has a base element (50) and a reinforcing structure (100) provided on the base element (50) within the reinforcing portion (40). The reinforcing structure (100) is configured to increase the bending rigidity of the beam (1,600, 650, 700) within the reinforcing portion (40) with respect to bending in the height direction (5), and is a micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700).
  2. The micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700) according to claim 1, wherein the bending stiffness of the base element (50) with the reinforcing structure (100) is, for example, at least 1.2 times, 2.5 times, 5 times, 8 times, 10 times, 15 times, or 20 times greater than the bending stiffness of the base element (50) without the reinforcing structure (100).
  3. The micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second moment of area of the cross-sections of the base element (50) and the reinforcing structure (100) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (3) with respect to bending around an axis parallel to the width direction (4) is, for example, at least 5 times, at least 10 times, at least 12 times, or at least 13 times the magnitude of the second moment of area of a rectangle having the same width as the base element (50) and having the same area as the cross-sections of the base element (50) and the reinforcing structure (100) in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (3).
  4. The height (102) of the reinforcing structure (100) in the height direction (5) is at least 0.1 times, for example, at least 0.2 times, at least 0.25 times, at least 0.5 times, or at least 1 time, of the height (51) of the base element (50) in the height direction (5), according to any one of claims 1 to 3, for the micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700).
  5. The reinforcing structure (100) comprises at least one ridge (110) extending parallel to the longitudinal direction (3), as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, for the micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700).
  6. The aspect ratio of the height (102) of the ridge (110) in the height direction (5) to the width (113) of the ridge (110) in the width direction (4) is at least 0.1, for example, at least 0.2, or at least 0.25. For example, the aspect ratio is at least 0.5, at least 1, at least 2.5, at least 3, or at least 3.5. For example, the micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to claim 5, wherein the aspect ratio is greater than 2.5.
  7. The micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the ridge (110) forms part of the conductive structure or forms a support for the conductive structure.
  8. The reinforcing structure (100) comprises a plurality of ridges (110) extending parallel to the longitudinal direction (3) and arranged adjacent to each other along the width direction (4), as described in any one of claims 5 to 7, for the micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700).
  9. The micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700) according to claim 8, wherein the ridges (110) have the same width (102) in the width direction (4) and/or the same height (102) in the height direction (5).
  10. The micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein adjacent ridges (110) of the reinforcing structure (100) are connected at their staggered longitudinal ends (107) to form a meandering structure.
  11. The reinforcing structure (100) is a continuous structure that extends continuously from the first end (108) to the second end (109) in a plane perpendicular to the height direction (5). For example, the first end (108) and/or the second end (109) are located at one end of the reinforcing portion (40) facing the fixed end (20) of the micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700), For example, the micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first end (108) and the second end (109) are located at the same end of the reinforcing portion (40).
  12. The reinforcing structure (100) forms a part of the conductive structure (70), or forms a support for the conductive structure (70). For example, the micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the conductive structure (70) provides a continuous conductive path for energization.
  13. It has a patterned multilayer structure, The patterned multilayer structure has the reinforcing structure (100), For example, the patterned multilayer structure is uniformly patterned in the height direction (5), as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, for the micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700).
  14. The micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the reinforcing structure (100) and the base element (50) are made of the same material and are integrally joined together.
  15. The reinforcing structure (100) includes a material different from the base material of the base element (50), For example, the micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the reinforcing structure (100) is made only of a material different from the substrate of the base element (50).
  16. The micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) comprises a conductive metal structure (70) electrically separated from the reinforcing structure (100) on the reinforcing structure (100), or the reinforcing structure (100) comprises the conductive metal structure (70), for example, the conductive metal structure (70).
  17. The micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to claim 16, wherein the metal structure (70) comprises two leads (76) for power connection that extend longitudinally through the bent portion (30).
  18. The micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the metal structure (70) is stacked in the height direction (5) and has at least two conductive layers (72, 74) configured to induce bending strain in the beam (1,600,650).
  19. The reinforcing structure (100) is formed by etching the base element (50) using the metal structure (70) as an etching mask, according to any one of claims 16 to 18, for the micromechanical beam (1,600, 650, 700).
  20. The beams (1,600, 650, 700) are provided within the reinforcing portion (40) and have a further reinforcing structure (150) positioned on a further surface (53) of the base element (50) of the beams (1,600, 650, 700). The micromechanical beam (1,600,650,700) according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the surface (52) and the further surface (53) are parallel to each other and located on opposite sides of the base element (50) in the height direction (5).

Description

This invention relates to a micromechanical beam for scanning probe measurement, lithography, and the like, and to a method for producing such a beam. Micromechanical beams are used to measure forces at the atomic level and to characterize the surfaces of various materials, particularly in atomic force microscopes (AFMs). In other applications, micromechanical beams are used as lithography tools to pattern surfaces. Due to their resolution and versatility, AFMs have become important measuring and lithography devices in a wide range of fields, from semiconductor manufacturing to biological research. Active beam-based AFM can achieve atomic-level resolution. Recent research on high-resolution AFM has been conducted on various types of surfaces in air, liquid, or vacuum by employing piezoelectric scanning devices and active beams fabricated as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). MEMS-based force detection (probe-based instruments) provides high-quality imaging at high imaging rates by using a sharp tip at one end of the beam and characterizing the sample surface with low load or low trackability. In lithography mode, the tip is modified to imprint information on the sample surface, for example, by field-emission electrons. In the case of a scanning probe microscope (SPM), the tip is used to detect the interaction between the tip and the surface, and to characterize various interactions with the sample down to the atomic level. The measured interaction forces are used to characterize interfaces such as solid-liquid interfaces in correspondence with the material properties of the surface. Micromechanical beams can be used in parallel for high-throughput probe topology measurements, lithography, electrical measurements, and detection of a wide range of masses, liquids, viscosities, etc. To enable high-speed measurements and minimize wear on the micromechanical beam tip, operation is typically performed in non-contact mode. In non-contact mode, the micromechanical beam is driven to vibrate at its resonant frequency, bringing it close to the probe surface to detect the van der Waals force between the tip and the sample. Typical beam oscillation amplitudes are in the range of less than 1 nm. Lock-in techniques are usually applied to control the beam vibration. To obtain high-resolution images, the lock-in bandwidth must be several steps higher than the beam's mechanical bandwidth. Typically, the scanning speed in non-contact mode is limited by the time required for the vibrating micromechanical beam to adapt to changes in surface topology associated with the movement of the probe tip over the surface. Typically, beam bending when the tip approaches or contacts a surface is detected by reflecting the laser beam onto a micromechanical beam and measuring the direction of the laser beam with a split-field photodetector. This bending of the micromechanical beam indicates the interaction force between the tip and the sample. This probe measurement technique is called optical reading or optical beam deflection (OBD) reading. Optical reading is the most common method for detecting beam deflection, but it is limited by diffraction in the micromechanical beam, which prevents the miniaturization of conventional scanning probes into a single micrometer. Side view of a micromechanical beam related to prior art.A cross-sectional view of the micromechanical beam shown in Figure 1.A diagram showing a first embodiment of the micromechanical beam according to this disclosure.Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the micromechanical beam.A further cross-sectional view of the micromechanical beam shown in Figure 3.A perspective view of another embodiment of the micromechanical beam relating to this disclosure.A cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the micromechanical beam relating to this disclosure.A diagram illustrating the bending of a micromechanical beam without a reinforcing structure.A diagram illustrating the bending of a micromechanical beam equipped with a reinforcing structure.Detailed top view of the reading area of the micromechanical beam relating to this disclosure.A diagram showing the stress applied to the reading area of a micromechanical beam with a rectangular cross-section.A diagram showing the differential output voltage of the reading structure as a function of the deflection of the micromechanical beam related to this disclosure.A diagram showing the differential output voltage of a reading structure as a function of the deflection of a micromechanical beam with a rectangular cross-section.This figure shows the response of the output voltage of the reading structure to the instantaneous deflection of the micromechanical beam relating to this disclosure, as a function of time.A figure showing the first precursor structure obtained by the method for producing a micromechanical beam according to this disclosure.A figure showing the second precursor structure obtained by the method for producing a micromec