Patent ID: 8321959

Claim:
An atomic force microscopy sensor, comprising: a. a substrate; b. a cantilever beam having a proximal end and an opposite distal end, the proximal end in a fixed relationship with the substrate and the cantilever beam is configured so that the distal end is in a moveable relationship with respect to the substrate; c. a piezoelectric actuator that includes a piezoelectric member affixed to the cantilever beam adjacent to the proximal end so that when an electrical potential is applied to the piezoelectric member, the piezoelectric member will deform along a predetermined dimension, thereby causing the cantilever beam to bend; and d. a pair of spaced-apart electrodes, a first one of the pair of electrodes coupled to the cantilever beam and a second one of the pair of electrodes in a fixed relationship to the substrate so as to form a capacitor therebetween so that a displacement between the electrodes results in a corresponding capacitance that is indicative of a displacement of the distal end of the cantilever beam.