AVS 45th International Symposium
    Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Division Thursday Sessions
       Session NS-ThP

Paper NS-ThP10
The Durability of Optical Fiber Probe Tips for Surface Profilometry

Thursday, November 5, 1998, 5:30 pm, Room Hall A

Session: Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Division Poster Session
Presenter: J.E. Griffith, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
Authors: J.E. Griffith, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
R. Raghunathan, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
L.E. Plew, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
J.B. Bindell, Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies
J. Carlson, Surface/Interface, Inc.
A. Berghaus, Surface/Interface, Inc.
J.J. Plombon, Surface/Interface, Inc.
C.E. Bryson, Surface/Interface, Inc.
Correspondent: Click to Email
The performance of a surface profiler strongly depends on the shape of the stylus or probe tip. Changes in the shape of the probe, caused by erosion or contamination during scanning, can be especially troublesome. The durability of the stylus depends on its shape, its composition, the composition of the sample, and the force sensor employed. We use cylindrical, silica glass probes etched from a specially chosen optical fiber. The glass probes are used in conjunction with a balance beam force sensor with sensitivity of approximately 10 nN. These probe tips have been used for extended periods on samples ranging from photoresist to silicon nitride with very little change in their shape from either erosion or contamination.