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EP0309236A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Microprobe, preparation thereof and electronic device by use of said microprobe

Assignee: Canon Inc
•
Filing: 1988-09-21
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2008-09-21
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Abstract

Abstract A microprobe (4) is provided which comprises a single crystal provided on a part of one main surface of a substrate or a part of a thin film (2) formed on one main surface of the substrate (1). The microprobe may have a single crystal having an apex portion (5) surrounded by facets having a specific plane direction and comprising a specific crystal face. The method for preparing the microprobe and an electronic device employing the microprobe also provided which is useful for recording and reproducing.

Inventors

  • 👤 Hisaaki Kawade
  • 👤 Haruki Kawada
  • 👤 Kunihiro Sakai
  • 👤 Hiroshi Matsuda
  • 👤 Yoko Morikawa
  • 👤 Yoshihiro Yanagisawa
  • 👤 Tetsuya Kaneko
  • 👤 Toshimitsu Kawase
  • 👤 Hideya Kumomi
  • 👤 Hiroyasu Nose
  • 👤 Eigo Kawakami

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-29 14:15
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01Q; G01Q60/00; G01Q60/10; G01Q60/16; G01Q70/00; G01Q70/08; G01Q70/10; G01Q80/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S977/00; Y10S977/84; Y10S977/849; Y10S977/86; Y10S977/875; Y10S977/878; Y10S977/879

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim 32 words
A microprobe, comprising a single crystal provided on a part of one main surface of a substrate or a part of a thin film formed on one main surface of the substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 32 words
A microprobe, comprising a single crystal provided on a part of one main surface of a substrate or a part of a thin film formed on one main surface of the substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 27 words
A microprobe according to claim 1, wherein the crystal has an apex portion surrounded by facets having a specific plane direction and comprising a specific crystal face.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 25 words
A microprobe constituted of a single crystal having an apex portion surrounded by facets having a specific plane direction and comprising a specific crystal face.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 25 words
A microprobe constituted of a single crystal having an apex portion surrounded by facets having a specific plane direction and comprising a specific crystal face.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 20 words
A microprobe as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said facets are faces in the range (411) to 311).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 16 words
A microprobe according to any preceding claim, wherein said single crystal is a tungsten single crystal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 16 words
A microprobe according to any preceding claim, wherein said single crystal is a silicon single crystal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 15 words
A microprobe according to any preceding claim, which is used as the current detecting probe.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 19 words
A microprobe according to any preceding claim, which is provided with an electrode wiring adjacent to said single crystal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 18 words
A microprobe according to any preceding claim, which is provided with an amplifier adjacent to said single crystal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 13 words
A microprobe according to claim 9, wherein the amplifier is a current amplifier.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 16 words
A microprobe according to any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of said single crystals are provided.
Claim 14
Independent Claim 87 words
A method for preparing a microprobe, comprising the step of providing on a part of one main surface of a substrate or on a part of a thin film formed on one main surface of the substrate a different material having nucleation density sufficiently larger than the nucleation density of said substrate or thin film and being small to such an extent that only a single nucleus can be grown thereon, and the step of forming a single crystal by growing a single nucleus on said material.
Claim 15
Independent Claim 87 words
A method for preparing a microprobe, comprising the step of providing on a part of one main surface of a substrate or on a part of a thin film formed on one main surface of the substrate a different material having nucleation density sufficiently larger than the nucleation density of said substrate or thin film and being small to such an extent that only a single nucleus can be grown thereon, and the step of forming a single crystal by growing a single nucleus on said material.
Claim 16
Independent Claim 67 words
A method for preparing a microprobe, comprising the step of laminating on a single crystal substrate an insulting layer having an opening so that a part of said single crystal substrate may be exposed, and the step of growing a single crystal having an apex portion surrounded by facets having a specific plane direction and comprising a specific crystal face by selective epitaxial growth from said opening.
Claim 17
Independent Claim 67 words
A method for preparing a microprobe, comprising the step of laminating on a single crystal substrate an insulting layer having an opening so that a part of said single crystal substrate may be exposed, and the step of growing a single crystal having an apex portion surrounded by facets having a specific plane direction and comprising a specific crystal face by selective epitaxial growth from said opening.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 24 words
A method for preparing a microprobe according to claim 13, having further the step of doping selectively a gas during the selective epitaxial growth.
Claim 19
Independent Claim 35 words
A method for preparing a microprobe according to any of claims 12 to 14, further comprising the step of providing draw-out electrodes adjacent to the single crystal having the apex portion surrounded by the facets.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 14 words
A microprobe prepared by a method according to any of claims 12 to 15.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 40 words
An electronic device for performing recording and reproduction, having a probe electrode comprising a single crystal, a recording medium provided in opposition to said probe electrode and a means for applying voltage between said probe electrode and said recording medium.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 40 words
An electronic device for performing recording and reproduction, having a probe electrode comprising a single crystal, a recording medium provided in opposition to said probe electrode and a means for applying voltage between said probe electrode and said recording medium.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 26 words
A device according to claim 17, wherein said probe electrode is provided by a microprobe as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11 and 16.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 58 words
A device according to claim 17 or 118, wherein said recording medium has a positional coordinate axis which functions as the standard and a means for detecting the position on said positional coordinate axis, thereby performing recording, or reproduction or erasing of the recorded information at the position of said recording medium corresponding to the coordinate position detected.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 24 words
A device according to claim 19, wherein the positional coordinate axis which functions as said standard is a coordinate axis based on atomic arrangement.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 42 words
A device according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the original point which functions as the standard is provided on at least one of the positional coordinate axis which functions as said standard and the position of the recording medium corresponding thereto.
Claim 27
Independent Claim 25 words
A device according to any of claims 19 to 21, wherein a plurality of the positional coordinate axis which functions as said standard are formed.
Claim 28
Independent Claim 41 words
A device according to any of claims 19 to 22, having a plurality of said probe electrodes, of which one probe electrode is used for detection of the positional coordinate is used, and the other probe electrodes for recording or reproduction.
Claim 29
Independent Claim 19 words
A device according to any of claims 17 to 23, wherein said recording medium has an electric memory effect.
Claim 30
Independent Claim 47 words
A device according to any of claims 17 to 24, wherein said recording medium has a standard scale which becomes the standard within the plane, and has a means for detecting the relative deviation within the recording medium plane between said standard scale and the probe electrode.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim 17 words
A device according to claim 25, wherein said standard scale is a scale based on atomic arrangement.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim 20 words
A device according to claim 25 or 26, wherein said standard scale has the original point which becomes the standard.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim 21 words
An electronic device according to any of claims 25 to 27, wherein a plural number of said standard scales are provided.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim 162 words
An electronic device, comprising an electroconductive standard scale which becomes the standard with respect to length, an electroconductive probe constituted of a single crystal with its tip being arranged in proximity to said standard scale face, a means for applying voltage between said standard scale and said probe, a means for detecting the tunnel current value flowing between said standard scale and said probe and outputting the signal corresponding to the relative movement amount in the lateral direction between said standard scale and said probe based on said tunnel current value, a means for detecting the relative movement amount and the relative movement direction in the lateral direction between said standard scale and said probe based on the outputting signal from said signal outputting means, and a means for counting the relative deviation amount in the lateral direction between said standard scale and said probe from the signals of said relative movement amount in the lateral direction and said relative movement direction.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim 162 words
An electronic device, comprising an electroconductive standard scale which becomes the standard with respect to length, an electroconductive probe constituted of a single crystal with its tip being arranged in proximity to said standard scale face, a means for applying voltage between said standard scale and said probe, a means for detecting the tunnel current value flowing between said standard scale and said probe and outputting the signal corresponding to the relative movement amount in the lateral direction between said standard scale and said probe based on said tunnel current value, a means for detecting the relative movement amount and the relative movement direction in the lateral direction between said standard scale and said probe based on the outputting signal from said signal outputting means, and a means for counting the relative deviation amount in the lateral direction between said standard scale and said probe from the signals of said relative movement amount in the lateral direction and said relative movement direction.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim 25 words
A device according to claim 29, wherein the probe is provided by a microprobe as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11 and 16.

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