AFM tweezers includes: a first probe that comprises a triangular prism member having a ridge, a tip of which is usable as a probe tip in a scanning probe microscope; a second probe that comprises a triangular prism member provided so as to open/close with respect to the first probe. The first probe and the second probe are juxtaposed such that a predetermined peripheral surface of the triangular prism member of the first probe and a predetermined peripheral surface of the triangular prism member of the second probe face substantially in parallel to each other, and the first probe formed of a notch that prevents interference with a sample when the sample is scanned by the tip of the ridge.
Small tweezers having a pair of arms openable and closable is moved closer to a sample and grips a particle attached on a surface of the sample and carries it onto an adhesion member to attach it thereto. The small tweezers are opened to release the particle and brought away from the adhesion member to leave the particle on the adhesion member. A particle removing device includes small tweezers having a pair of arms openable and closable; an opening/closing driving unit that drives the arm or arms to open/close the small tweezers; a stage mounting an adhesion member that attaches thereto a particle to withdraw the particle; and a moving mechanism that moves the small tweezers between the sample and the adhesion member mounted on the stage. Also, an atomic force microscope and a charged ion beam apparatus that include the particle removing device are disclosed.
A tweezer-equipped scanning probe microscope comprises a first arm with a probing portion, a second arm that moves along an opening direction or a closing direction relative to the first arm, an electrostatic actuator that drives the second arm along the opening direction or the closing direction based upon an opening/closing drive voltage applied thereto, an amplifier that induces self-oscillation in the electrostatic actuator by using an electrically equivalent circuit accompanying the electrostatic actuator as a feedback circuit and causes the second arm to vibrate through the self-oscillation, and a vibration state detection unit that detects a change of vibration state of the second arm as the second arm contacts an object.
A fixed electrode and a movable electrode used to drive each arm are disposed at a drive unit. As a voltage is applied between the fixed electrode and the movable the electrode, a coulomb force causes the movable the electrode to move, thereby driving the arms along the closing direction. The dimensions of a sample can be measured based upon the electrostatic capacity achieved between the electrodes when the sample becomes gripped by the arms.
A fixed electrode and a movable electrode to be used to drive each arm are formed at a drive unit. As a voltage is applied between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode, the movable electrode is caused to move by coulomb force, thereby driving the arm 3 in a closing operation. By detecting a change occurring in the electrostatic capacity between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode at this time, a decision can be made as to whether or not the sample has been gripped.