ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

摘要

An atomic force microscope includes a tip (12) mounted on a micromachined cantilever (10). As the tip scans a surface (24) to be investigated, interatomic forces between the tip and the surface induce displacement of the tip. A laser beam is transmitted to and reflected from the cantilever for measuring the cantilever orientation. In a preferred embodiment the laser beam has an elliptical shape. The reflected laser beam is detected with a position-sensitive detector (22), preferably a bicell. The output of the bicell is provided to a computer for processing of the data for providing a topographical image of the surface with atomic resolution.