Proximal Probe Microscopes are emerging as powerful tools for facilitating nanotechnology and nanoscience innovations. Probe microscopes operate by moving a nanoscopic probe across a surface in a raster motion. A surface topographic image is generated by displaying on a computer screen the three-dimensional motion of the probe, and hence a three-dimensional rendering of the surface. in addition to providing a standard magnified view of a surface associated with traditional microscopes, proximal probe microscopes provide quantitative height information. The primary factor establishing resolution in a probe system is the diameter of the probe. with recent advances in probe microscope techniques it is possible to measure more than three-dimensional surface profiles. Examples include measuring surface physical and chemical properties, manipulating objects on a surface, and altering surface properties.

In an atomic force microscope the probe is placed in the vicinity of a surface, and various types mechanical properties may be measured. For example, mechanical properties such a surface hardness and elasticity are measured by monitoring the mechanical interactions between the probe and a sample’s surface. in one such method, the probe is vibrated above the surface and the phase and amplitude of the probe’s vibration depends on the mechanical properties of the surface; Figure 1 illustrates this technique.