Multi-probe flat plate scanning imaging system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-probe flat scanning imaging system. The operation principle of the system is mainly as follows: a multi-tip planar probe array is taken as a probe, information is obtained through multi-tip line-by-line scanning, camera photographing and recording and tip image gray scale change, and imaging is realized through the processes of gray scale information and sample morphology data conversion, sample three-dimensional morphology reconstruction and the like. The system mainly comprises a probe flat plate scanning controller, a probe image acquisition device, a camera, a bracket controller for controlling a multi-tip probe flat plate to move, a sample table, a lighting device and a big data storage and analysis system. The multi-tip flat scanning mode provided by the invention combines the advantages of large optical imaging area and high resolution of an atomic force microscope, provides a new imaging theory, is a novel large-area and high-resolution microscopic imaging system, and has great significance in the fields of scientific research and industrial analysis imaging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the design and manufacture of a microscopic imaging system, in particular to the design and manufacture of a multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system. Background Art

[0002] In the history of scientific and technological development, major breakthroughs in microscopic imaging technology often mark major technological advances in scientific research and industry. A series of microscopes have a wide range of indispensable applications in fields such as material research and development, biomedicine, electronic semiconductors, aerospace, archaeological discoveries, criminal investigation, etc. The characterization and testing of chip structures is an important part of semiconductor manufacturing, so higher requirements are placed on high-performance microscopic imaging technology.

[0003] At present, some microscopes have played a huge role in scientific research and industrial production. For example, traditional optical microscopes, scanning electron microscopes, transmission electron microscopes, fluorescence microscopes, scanning probe microscopes, etc. However, these microscopes still have inevitable shortcomings that limit their wider application. For example, the most common optical microscope is limited by the diffraction limit of the imaging light source, and its resolution generally does not exceed 200nm; although the electron microscope has a higher resolution, the equipment is expensive and requires high vacuum and high requirements for samples; the scanning probe microscope has a small imaging range and slow speed, etc. Therefore, there is still a great demand for the development of microscopic imaging instruments with high resolution and large imaging area.

[0004] Atomic force microscope is a type of scanning probe microscope. Its advantages are that it does not require high vacuum and sample conductivity, and the test environment has low restrictions on the sample. It has great applications in the field of semiconductor detection and analysis. However, it still has the problem of small scanning area inherent in scanning probe microscopes.

[0005] A multi-probe flat-panel array refers to an array containing tens of thousands of needle tips within a 1 square centimeter range. The size of the needle tips is nanometer-sized, and the distance between individual needle tips is tens of micrometers. At the same time, the scanning system based on the atomic force microscope has the characteristics of high-precision scanning control, but the scanning area of ​​the atomic force microscope itself is usually less than 100 micrometers. Therefore, combining a large-area multi-tip nanotip array with a high-precision scanning control system will greatly expand the imaging area of ​​the scanning probe microscope while basically maintaining nanometer-level resolution. The purpose of this patent is to propose a new large-area multi-tip flat-panel scanning imaging system. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system and method in view of the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] On the one hand, the multi-probe flat plate scanning imaging system provided by the present invention is characterized in that it includes a probe plate, a bracket controller, an objective lens, a camera, a lighting device and a processing system, the probe plate is configured with a multi-tip planar probe array, the bracket controller is used to control the movement of the probe plate, the lighting device provides light for the multi-tip planar probe array when scanning the sample surface, the objective lens is used to receive the grayscale image of the multi-tip planar probe array when scanning the sample surface, the camera is used to collect the grayscale image and send the grayscale image to the processing system, the processing system is used to obtain the grayscale change information of the tip image, convert the grayscale information and sample morphology data, and reconstruct the three-dimensional morphology of the sample to achieve imaging.

[0008] In some embodiments, the size of the multi-tip array is 0.01 mm2-1 cm2, the number of tips of the multi-tip planar probe array is 1-100,000, the tips are made of reproducible cured rubber and glass, and the size of a single tip is 25-300 μm2.

[0009] In some embodiments, the processing system is used to image a sample using multiple needle tips simultaneously, and to combine the imaging results obtained by the multiple needle tips into a complete sample morphology.

[0010] In some embodiments, the support controller is used to control the relative parallel movement of the probe plate and the sample plane in rows, and the relative movement distance of the probe plate and the sample plane is between 1 nm and 10 μm.

[0011] In some embodiments, the support controller is used to control the multi-probe flat panel probe to scan the sample periodically, and the needle tip and the sample produce pressure changes, and the pressure first increases and then decreases during each scanning process.

[0012] In some embodiments, the shooting speed of the camera is 100-20,000 frames per second. Preferably, the shooting speed of the camera is 250 frames per second.

[0013] In some embodiments, the range for acquiring the grayscale image includes at most one-third of the pinpoint projection area.

[0014] In some embodiments, the processing system has a data transmission speed of 10 GB / s and a storage space of 100 GB-10 TB.

[0015] On the other hand, the present invention provides a multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging method, characterized in that it includes: scanning a multi-tip flat probe array line by line, acquiring a grayscale image with a camera, processing to obtain grayscale change information of the tip image, converting the grayscale information and sample morphology data, and reconstructing the three-dimensional morphology of the sample to achieve imaging.

[0016] In some embodiments, multiple needle tips are used to image the sample simultaneously, and the imaging results obtained by the multiple needle tips are combined into a complete sample morphology.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] First, general optical microscopes directly use visible light as the imaging light source, and the imaging resolution is limited to no more than 200nm by the light diffraction limit. The present invention accurately reflects the sample information by collecting the grayscale changes of the needle tip, and its resolution is not limited by the diffraction of light. Due to the nanometer-level high-precision control of the scanning system, its resolution is close to that of an atomic force microscope and can reach more than 20nm.

[0019] Secondly, due to the use of parallel multi-tip probes for simultaneous scanning, the present invention can increase the imaging area by more than ten times compared with an atomic force microscope, so the present invention is a new type of large-area high-resolution imaging system.

[0020] Finally, the probe of the present invention has low production cost, is reusable, and has a friendly testing environment without harsh conditions, which is an excellent supplement to the existing field of microscopic imaging instruments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is the basic principle diagram of the multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a physical picture of the multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system.

[0023] Figure 3 Figure 2 is the prepared polymer probe array and the tools used for preparation. Figure a and c are the molds used for preparation, Figure b is the detailed morphology of the needle tip, and Figure d is the complete probe.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a graph showing how the pressure on the needle tip changes with the relative distance during the contact between the needle tip and the sample.

[0025] Figure 5 are images of the needle tip array at different moving positions taken by the camera.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a morphology image of the sample tested using the developed multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms fall within the scope limited by the appended claims of the application equally.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] like Figure 1 Shown

[0030] Step 1: Select a 5W LED white light source and install it above a reflective optical microscope. The magnification of the optical microscope objective is 10 times. Install a high-speed CCD camera at the position of the microscope eyepiece. The camera shoots at a speed of 500 frames per second.

[0031] Install the prepared polydimethylsiloxane polymer probe on the probe holder. The probe size is 50μm. Install the sample, adjust the relative horizontal position of the sample stage and the probe plane, and keep the distance between the needle tip and the sample between 0-1μm. Adjust the focus of the microscope to ensure clear imaging of the needle tip.

[0032] Step 2: Set the probe longitudinal movement speed to 1μm / s, lateral movement speed to 100μm / s, movement area to 50*50μm, and each movement interval to 1μm. Click to start scanning and start video shooting at the same time. After the scan is completed, end the shooting and save the video. Open the data analysis system software, enter the video path and corresponding scanning parameters, run the data peak search and correction module, and obtain the measured sample morphology graph.

[0033] The specific structure of the system is as follows Figure 2 The main components of the multi-probe flatbed scanning imaging system are shown in Figure 1. From left to right, they are a dual-screen display, a data processing workstation, and the machine body. The prepared polymer probe array and the tools used for preparation are shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 Shown are, among which, Figures a and c are the molds used for preparation, Figure b is the detailed morphology of the needle tip, and Figure d is the complete probe.

[0034] Example 2

[0035] Step 1: Select an LED white light source with a light intensity of 7W and install it above a reflective optical microscope. The magnification of the optical microscope objective is 1. Install a high-speed CCD camera at the position of the microscope eyepiece, and the camera shooting speed is 1000 frames per second.

[0036] Install the prepared polydimethylsiloxane polymer probe on the probe holder. The probe size is 100 μm. Install the sample, adjust the relative horizontal position of the sample stage and the probe plane, and keep the distance between the needle tip and the sample between 0-1 μm. Adjust the focus of the microscope to ensure clear imaging of the needle tip.

[0037] Step 2: Set the probe longitudinal movement speed to 2μm / s, lateral movement speed to 100μm / s, movement area to 100*100μm, and each movement interval to 5μm. Click to start scanning and start video shooting at the same time. After the scan is completed, end the shooting and save the video. Open the data analysis system software, enter the video path and corresponding scanning parameters, run the data peak search and correction module, and obtain the measured sample morphology graph.

[0038] like Figure 4 The change in pressure of the needle tip when in contact with the sample is shown in the figure. By observing the change in the needle tip in the video, it can be used to determine whether the needle tip and the sample are in contact, and to accurately determine the contact time in data analysis. Figure 5 It is the image of the needle tip array at different moving positions taken by the camera, reflecting the changes in different reflected light intensities. Figure 6 The image shows a part of the large-area parallel imaging of the needle tip, which is a complete morphology composed of the imaging results of 6 needle tips. The sample area is 180*120μm 2 , with a height of 180nm. The imaging area exceeds that of a general atomic force microscope, and the resolution exceeds that of an optical microscope.

[0039] Finally, it should be noted that: technicians in this industry should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned implementation cases. The above-mentioned embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may have various changes and improvements, which shall fall within the scope of the present invention to be protected. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a probe plate, a support controller, an objective lens, a camera, an illumination device and a processing system. The probe plate is provided with a multi-tip planar probe array. The support controller is used to control the movement of the probe plate. The illumination device provides light for the multi-tip planar probe array when scanning the sample surface. The objective lens is used to receive a grayscale image of the multi-tip planar probe array when scanning the sample surface. The camera is used to collect the grayscale image and send the grayscale image to the processing system. The processing system is used to obtain the grayscale change information of the needle tip image, convert the grayscale information and the sample morphology data, and reconstruct the three-dimensional morphology of the sample to realize imaging.

2. A multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The size of the multi-tip array is 0.01 mm 2 -1cm 2 The number of needle tips in the multi-tip planar probe array is 1-100,000, the needle tips are made of reproducible cured rubber and glass, and the size of a single needle tip is 25-300 μm 2 .

3. A multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The processing system is used for multiple needle tips to image the sample simultaneously, and to combine the imaging results obtained by the multiple needle tips into a complete sample morphology.

4. A multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support controller is used to control the relative parallel movement of the probe plate and the sample plane in rows, and the relative movement distance of the probe plate and the sample plane is between 1 nm and 10 μm.

5. A multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support controller is used to control the multi-probe flat probe to scan the sample periodically. The needle tip and the sample produce pressure changes, and the pressure increases first and then decreases during each scanning process.

6. The multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shooting speed of the camera is 100-20000 frames per second, and preferably, the shooting speed of the camera is 250 frames per second.

7. The multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The range of acquiring grayscale images includes at most one third of the pinpoint projection area.

8. The multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processing system has a data transmission speed of 10GB / s and a storage space of 100GB-10TB.

9. A multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging method, characterized in that: include: The multi-tip planar probe array scans line by line, the camera obtains the grayscale image, and the grayscale change information of the tip image is processed. The grayscale information and the sample morphology data are converted and the three-dimensional morphology of the sample is reconstructed to achieve imaging.

10. The multi-probe flat-panel scanning imaging method according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes imaging the sample with multiple needle tips at the same time, and combining the imaging results obtained by the multiple needle tips into a complete sample morphology.

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