Cantilever and process for fabricating it

摘要

A probe formed in a flexible portion of a cantilever is protected by a protection frame. This protection frame is separated from a support portion at a border of a groove between the protection frame and the support portion. A piezoelectric crystal layer is formed in the flexible portion, and when the flexible portion is bent by an interatomic force acting between the probe and a sample, a voltage induced between the both ends of the piezoelectric crystal layer changes.