Abstract:Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), one of the most effective and important means of testing and processing in nanometer technology, is receiving increasing popularity in applications related with nanometer technology. The current trend of development of AFM involves its composite function. Direct observation of the surface of the nano-scale morphology is not the only thing AFM can do, it also supports nanofabrication, biological materials testing and even the mechanical property test for nanostructures. Therefore, design and development of a multifunctional AFM system is becoming a demand. The auto-feeding system, as a part of the whole AFM system, plays a very important role. In this paper, an auto-feeding system for AFM probe is designed, which can be widely used in the independent development of AFM scanning system. It can not only reduce the manufacturing costs of AFM, but also contribute to the extended applications of AFM. Single chip and A/D converter are utilized as its front-end system, and the data collected from A/D is sent to PC through RS-232 serial port, meanwhile, Visual Basic is applied to deal with data analysis and processing, and finally to realize the automatic control of the stepper motor for AFM scanning. The system can work with SIS AFM head stably, and they can provide users the access to personalized multi-function measurements.