Combining optical and AFM microscopy

 

This figure shows how optical microscopy and AFM microscopy are used together to take advantage of the strong features of both techniques. In this situation, an inverted optical / fluorescence microscope is used. The objective has a view through a hole in the AFM stage (not to scale in this figure), and thus both the AFM tip and the specimen can be seen because of the glass substrate. This creates a range of possibilities, such as precise tip navigation, direct correlation of fluorescence with sample topography, Mechanical stimulation/ manipulation by AFM with optical observation of an induced response, and many more.

The stage shows a simplistic representation of the piëzofloor which is used to make the precise approach and withdrawal from and to the AFM tip.
The objective was specifically designed for this figure.