Patent ID: 9562927
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: G01Q

Claim:
1. An apparatus comprising: a scanning probe microscope, the scanning probe microscope having a moveable tip, and wherein the scanning probe microscope is configured to move the tip in a tapping mode to cause tapping movement for the tip; a position detector, the position detector configured to (1) directly detect the tapping tip, and (2) generate an output signal indicative of a plurality of positions for the detected tip over time; and a processor configured for operation in conjunction with the position detector, the processor configured to (1) process data representative of the output signal from the position detector, (2) determine a plurality of positions for the tapping tip over time in at least one dimension based on the processed data, (3) process the determined tip positions, and (4) compute a force for the tapping tip in at least one dimension based on the processed tip positions over time.