Development of a Compact Atomic Force Microscope Based on an Optical Pickup Head

To develop a compact and cost-effective atomic force microscope (AFM), this paper proposes to utilize components of an optical pickup head of a CD/DVD player. One of the voice coil motors and the astigmatic detection system of the optical pickup head are employed to provide vertical actuation of an AFM cantilever and to measure its deflection. A flexure is installed on the optical pickup head to reduce the influence of ground vibrations and to change its actuator sensitivity for better AFM imaging. The feasibility of the proposed system is experimentally shown by recording a topography image of a standard calibration grating.