Here we see the cantilever holder. A spring clip holds the cantilever in place. It rests at a slight tilt on top of a tapered white block. This block is made up of a special material called a piezoelectric which shrinks slightly when a voltage is applied across it.
In one operating mode ("tapping mode AFM") the voltage to this piezoelectric is repeatedly pulsed so that the cantilever tip taps its way across the sample. This mode can make it less likely that the tip will get caught and break off at a deep hole or step on the sample surface.
