6 - Applications

An AFM scans a probe mounted on a cantilever over a surface and the forces between the probe tip and the sample surface are monitored, finally an image of the surface is generated. The most common type of force sensor utilizes the relationship between the resulting motion of the cantilever and the applied force. Motions are measured with the light lever method: a photodetector measures the light reflected from the backside of the cantilever. The output of the photodetector is proportional to the motion of the cantilever.