66 Nanosensors: Physical, Chemical, and Biological
resolution for most AFMs is typically 2–10 nm. The AFM works in the same
way as our ngers touch and probe the environment when we cannot see
things in darkness. By using ngers to “visualize” an object, our brain is
able to deduce its topography while touching it. The AFM generates images by
feeling the specimens as opposed to seeing by optical microscopes. Its closest pre-
decessor is the stylus proler, an instrument used to measure the prole of a
surface, in order to quantify its roughness, step height, or thin lm thickness.
AFM technology uses sharper probes and lower forces than stylus prol-
ers to provide higher-resolution information without sample damage. The
essential part of AFM ...