Scanning Probe/Atomic Force Microscopy: Technology Overview and Update

Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) are instruments that measure properties of surfaces. They include atomic force microscopes (AFMs) and scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs). In their first applications, SPMs were used mainly for measuring 3D surface topography and, although they can now be used to measure many other surface properties, that is still their primary application. SPMs are the most powerful tools of our time for surface metrology, measuring surface features whose dimensions range from interatomic spacing to a tenth of a millimeter.