Non-contact type atomic microscope and observation method using it

摘要

A non-contact type atomic microscope comprises a plurality of probes differing in resonance frequency; an actuator for vibrating the plurality of probes simultaneously; and a drive signal generating circuit for generating a drive signal for the actuator containing a resonance frequency of each of the plurality of probes. An observation method for observing a surface shape of a sample by using a plurality of probes comprises a step of vibrating the plurality of probes at simultaneously with a common actuator in a vicinity of their resonance frequencies; wherein a signal for driving the actuator contains a resonance frequency of each of the probes; a step of detecting any displacement in each of the probes and generating an output signal; and a step of generating a signal representing the surface shape based on the output signal.