Patent ID: 7387016

Claim:
An atomic force microscope comprising: a cantilever equipped with a probe for scanning a sample and making contact with the sample at all times during scanning; vibrating means for vibrating the cantilever with an ac drive signal; amplitude detection means for detecting the amplitude of flexure tilt angle of the cantilever during vibration of the cantilever the probe of which is in contact with the sample; vibration control means for controlling the vibration means based on a set value of amplitude, the vibration control means including an automatic gain controller for producing an output signal based on the difference between a value of amplitude detected by the amplitude detection means and said set value of amplitude; and imaging means for creating an energy dissipation image of an energy applied to the vibrating means to maintain constant the amplitude of the vibration of the cantilever in resonance, wherein said output signal from the automatic gain controller is fed back to the vibrating means in order to cause the drive signal of the vibrating means to vibrate the cantilever into resonance at said set value of amplitude during the scanning by the probe which is in contact with the sample, and wherein said output signal from the automatic gain controller is applied to said imaging means and said imaging means creates the energy dissipation image based on said output signal.