A scanning probe microscopy technique that measures surface topography by detecting forces between a sharp tip and sample surface at the atomic level. It can image individual atoms and molecules while providing information about mechanical properties.
Named for its ability to detect 'atomic' scale 'forces' between probe and sample. Invented by Gerd Binnig, Calvin Quate, and Christoph Gerber in 1986, building on the earlier scanning tunneling microscope concept but extending it to non-conductive samples.
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