Calvin Quate developed instruments that use mechanical interactions to reveal microscopic structure. His Stanford memorial describes his work on scanning acoustic microscopy and, with Gerd Binnig and Christoph Gerber, atomic force microscopy.[ref]
https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2019/07/calvin-f-quate-inventor-advanced-microscopes-dies-95. Institutional memorial, microscopy contributions
Their 1986 atomic-force-microscope paper used a compliant mechanical probe and sensitive displacement detection to measure surface interactions. Its preliminary measurements demonstrated nanometre-scale lateral structure and sub-nanometre vertical sensitivity; the proposed atomic-scale goal and those initial measured resolutions should be distinguished. This instrument-building contribution opened a route to imaging surfaces without requiring a tunnelling current through the specimen.[ref]
Atomic Force Microscope by Gerd Binnig and others. Abstract, preliminary lateral30angstrom and vertical below1angstrom resolution
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