MFM is sensitive to the magnetic properties of the surface in question. Like AFM, a sharp probe is attached to the bottom of a cantilever, which is scanned over the surface as a laser is bounced off of the top. In MFM, however, the probe must be magnetized in such a way that its interaction with various magnetic domains on the surface results in cantilever deflection. Such deflection is used to produce a data file or MFM image. Since much of our computer memory is stored on magnetic disks, this technology has a vast potential for microelectronic applications.
