The work in this thesis is focused on characterising elastic behaviour of micro-cantilever
probes found at the core of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) tools. It is an essential
property to AFM force measurements, since interpretation of the cantilever deflection is
directly related to the measure of the tip-sample force via its elastic conduct. It was
demonstrated that the conventional micro-cantilevers can be well characterised using
analytical and FE methods, together with the ready developed tools and experimental
techniques, which formed the insights for the design practices used in further and more
complex structure development efforts. However, this project’s emphasis was placed on
assessment of non-traditional AFM cantilever structures that are not supported by the said
methods, and hence necessitated in the conceptualisation and development of a dedicated
micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) solution. The sensitive force and elasticity
measurement device, based on metal film resistive strain sensing, was realised using
semiconductor and MEMS fabrication approaches in the James Watt Nanofabrication
Centre, allowing the desired performance to be achieved with an in-house process
optimisation. The functional MEMS tool paired with bespoke instrumentation was then
employed to characterise a range of commercial cantilevers as well as non-standard probes
consisting of complex composition multi-structures and non-linear elasticity, providing
novel insights into their elastic character
