Design and Fabrication of Microprobe for Vertical Measurement using SEM

The change of gray contract reflects the morphology of the sample in an SEM image. Quantifying the gray contract is important for flex manipulation and the vertical measurement with SEM. Traditional methods focus on the 2D plane, thus are limited by the complex experimental system and lack of timeliness. We design and fabricate a new microprobe that measures the vertical distance in SEM simply by processing images of the semi-transparent pinhole at the tip of the microprobe. First, we propose the model of the microprobe by watching the morphology of the AFM probe. Second, we obtain the structure parameters of the microprobe by analysis and simulation. Finally, we fabricate the microprobe that combines 3D printing and FIB precision manufacturing. The result provides the foundation for grayscale characterization experiments in the SEM.