atomic force microscope

Microscope developed in the late 1980s that produces a magnified image using a diamond probe, with a tip so fine that it may consist of a single atom, dragged over the surface of a specimen to ‘feel’ the contours of the surface. In effect, the tip acts like the stylus of a record player, reading the surface. The tiny up-and-down movements of the probe are converted to an image of the surface by computer and displayed on a screen. The AFM is useful for examination of biological specimens since, unlike the scanning tunnelling microscope, the specimen does not have to be electrically conducting.