Atomic force microscope

Abstract

There is provided an atomic force microscope (AFM) with increase the speed and sensitivity of detection of the resonant frequency shift in a cantilever. An AFM () extracts a reference signal and a phase shift signal from a detection signal from a displacement sensor of the cantilever. The reference signal is restrained from a phase change in accordance with the resonant frequency shift. The phase shift signal has a phase shifted in accordance with the resonant frequency shift. The AFM () determines the phase difference of the phase shift signal from the reference signal, as the resonant frequency shift. The AFM () may detect the phase difference between a plus-minus inversion point on the reference signal and a corresponding plus-minus inversion point on the phase shift signal. The AFM () may adjust phase before phase detection. The phase adjustment may move the detection point for the resonant frequency shift defined on the oscillation waveforms to the plus-minus inversion point. The detection point is set at a position where the cantilever and a sample are closest to each other on the oscillation waveform.