Elimination of optical and tunneling displacement sensors from the atomic force microscope (AFM) is an important breakthrough for improved performance of the AFM. The interaction of an oscillating tip and a surface has become a popular tool for obtaining information which could not be obtained by the conventional repulsive force AFM mode. In this application, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is one of the most promising materials with large piezoelectric constants which can be used not only for detecting distortions such as the displacement detection of an AFM cantilever, but also oscillations of the cantilever. However, incorporating PZT into the microfabrication process to make the AFM cantilever has not been easily accomplished because PZT has a delicate chemical nature. We have successfully developed an AFM with a microfabricated cantilever which had a PZT thin film applied for displacement sensing. The linearity of the output signal was sufficient for displacement sensing. Images of a compact disk were ...