Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Active Probe Atomic Force Microscopy with Quattro-Parallel Cantilever Arrays for High-Throughput Large-Scale Sample Inspection
Published on: June 13, 2023
A complete analysis of the laser beam deflection systems used in cantilever-based systems
L Y Beaulieu1, Michel Godin, Olivier Laroche
1Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Memorial University. St. John's, NL., Canada A1B 3X7.
Abstract:
A working model has been developed which can be used to significantly increase the accuracy of cantilever deflection measurements using optical beam techniques (used in cantilever-based sensors and atomic force microscopes), while simultaneously simplifying their use. By using elementary geometric optics and standard vector analysis it is possible, without any fitted or adjustable parameters, to completely and accurately describe the relationship between the cantilever deflection and the signal measured by a position sensitive photo-detector. By arranging the geometry of the cantilever/optical beam, it is possible to tailor the detection system to make it more sensitive at different stages of the cantilever deflection or to simply linearize the relationship between the cantilever deflection and the measured detector signal. Supporting material and software has been made available for download at http://www.physics.mun.ca/beauliu_lab/papers/cantilever_analysis.htm so that the reader may take full advantage of the model presented herein with minimal effort.
Related Concept Videos
Deformation of a Beam under Transverse Loading
The insights from the bending moment diagram extend to...
Deflection of a Beam
Singularity functions, described in an earlier lesson, are powerful mathematical tools that represent discontinuities within a function commonly encountered in structural loading...
Beams with Unsymmetric Loadings
The first moment-area theorem determines the slope at any point on the beam. This theorem indicates that the change in slope between two points on a beam...
Impact Loading on a Cantilever Beam
When an object is dropped onto the free end of a cantilever, its potential energy due to gravity is...
Elastic Curve from the Load Distribution
For all beams, the analysis of the beam's reaction to distributed loads begins by understanding the relationship between a beam's load and the resulting shear forces and bending moments. Initially, this...
Beams with Symmetric Loadings
The M/EI...

