Atomic force microscope
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Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) are a type of microscope. AFMs provide pictures of atoms on or in surfaces. Like the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the purpose of the AFM is to look at objects on the atomic level. In fact, the AFM may be used to look at individual atoms (Nature 2007, 446, 64).
The AFM can do some things that the SEM cannot do. The AFM can sometimes provide higher resolution than the SEM. Further, the AFM does not need to operate in a vacuum. In fact, the AFM can operate in ambient air or water.
The AFM works by employing an ultra-fine needle attached to a cantilever beam. As the tip of the needle runs over the ridges and valleys in the material being imaged, the cantilever deflects. In one basic configuration, a laser shines on the cantilever at an oblique angle, and allows for the direct measurement of the deflection in the cantilever by simply changing the angle of incidence for the laser beam. In this way, an image may be created revealing the atomic configuration of the molecules being imaged by the machine.
