imaging technique atomic force microscopy atomic force microsc AFM MI:0872 PSI-MI The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscope, with demonstrated resolution of fractions of a nanometer, more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit. The AFM was invented by Binnig, Quate and Gerber in 1986, and is one of the foremost tools for imaging, measuring and manipulating matter at the nanoscale.The term 'microscope' in the name is actually a misnomer because it implies looking, while in fact the information is gathered by feeling out the surface with a mechanical feeler. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_force_microscope