Direct measurement of cantilever spring constants and correction for cantilever irregularities using an instrumented indenter.

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 uncertainty of less than 10% can be achieved for spring constants from 0.1 to 10(2) Nm. 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 article also demonstrates a technique to detect and correct apparent length anomalies of cantilevers by analyzing spring constants at multiple positions.