NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Direct Measurement of Cantilever Spring Constants and Correction of Cantilever Irregularities Using an Instrumented Indenter
Published
Author(s)
Z C. Ying, Mark Reitsma, Richard S. Gates
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 accuracy of better than 10% can be achieved for spring constants from 0.1 N/m to 102 N/m. 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 paper also demonstrates a technique to detect and correct apparent length anomalies of cantilevers by analyzing spring constants at multiple positions.
Ying, Z.
, Reitsma, M.
and Gates, R.
(2007),
Direct Measurement of Cantilever Spring Constants and Correction of Cantilever Irregularities Using an Instrumented Indenter, Review of Scientific Instruments, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=850970
(Accessed October 2, 2025)