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atomic force microscope

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atomic force microscope

[ə¦täm·ik ¦fȯrs ′mī¦krə‚skōp]
(engineering)
A device for mapping surface atomic structure by measuring the force acting on the tip of a sharply pointed wire or other object that is moved over the surface.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

AFM

(Atomic Force Microscope) A device used to image materials at the atomic level. AFMs are used to solve processing and materials problems in electronics, telecom, biology and other high-tech industries. Invented by IBM in 1986, it uses a ceramic or semiconductor tip one atom wide positioned at the end of a cantilevered bar. As the tip is moved over the material, it either continously touches or periodically taps the surface and bends as it is repelled or attracted to the structure. A laser picks up the deflections.

In contrast to a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), which sends current to the surface being measured, AFMs can be used to image non-conductive materials. See probe storage, STM, microscopy and nanotechnology.
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