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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid
Published on: December 2, 2022
Direct measurement of cantilever spring constants and correction for cantilever irregularities using an instrumented
Z Charles Ying1, Mark G Reitsma, Richard S Gates
1National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA. cying@nsf.gov
Abstract:
A method is presented that allows direct measurement of a wide range of spring constants of cantilevers using an indentation instrument with an integrated optical microscope. An uncertainty of less than 10% can be achieved for spring constants from 0.1 to 10(2) Nm. The technique makes it possible to measure the spring constant at any desired location on a cantilever of any shape, particularly at the tip location of an atomic force microscopy cantilever. The article also demonstrates a technique to detect and correct apparent length anomalies of cantilevers by analyzing spring constants at multiple positions.
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