microscopy scanning probe microscopy CHMO:0000112 SPM Microscopy which uses a probe to scan the surface of the specimen and measure some form of interaction between surface and probe. An image of the surface is obtained by mechanically moving the probe in a raster scan of the specimen, line by line, and recording the probe-surface interaction as a function of position. A feedback loop is used to maintain a fixed relationship between the probe and surface during scanning. scanning-probe microscopy