Editing Atomic force microscopy (section)

{{short description|Type of microscopy}}
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[[Image:Atomic force microscope block diagram.svg|thumb|240px|An AFM generates images by scanning a small cantilever over the surface of a sample. The sharp tip on the end of the cantilever contacts the surface, bending the cantilever and changing the amount of laser light reflected into the photodiode. The height of the cantilever is then adjusted to restore the response signal, resulting in the measured cantilever height tracing the surface.]]

'''Atomic force microscopy''' ('''AFM''') or '''scanning force microscopy''' ('''SFM''') is a very-high-resolution type of [[scanning probe microscopy]] (SPM), with demonstrated resolution on the order of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the [[diffraction-limited system|optical diffraction limit]].