MODEL OF THE CANTILEVER USED AS A WEAK FORCE SENSOR IN ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY

New types of weak forces measurements with Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) are very challenging for experimental physics and call for new studies on control strategies operating the AFM. It is thus necessary to first develop a precise model of the cantilever with its sharp tip, in interaction with the scanned sample. This paper presents a model of the cantilever, that is based on beam theory and taking into account the influence of the long distance interaction forces.