System and method for detecting the displacement of a plurality of micro- and nanomechanical elements, such as micro-cantilevers

A method for detecting the displacement, such as the deflection or tilting, of a plurality of elements forming part of an array, especially for detecting the displacement of a plurality of micro- or nano-mechanical elements forming part of such array, said method comprising the steps of:

• directing a light beam towards the array;
• receiving, using an optical position detector, the light beam upon reflection of said light beam by said array, and providing a first output from said position detector, said first output being indicative of a position of incidence of the reflected light beam on said position detector, whereby said position of incidence is determined by the displacement of the corresponding element, scanning the light beam along the array so that the light beam is sequentially reflected, by the individual elements along said array, towards the position detector;
• detecting when the light beam is reflected by an element;
• when detecting that the light beam is reflected by an element, taking the corresponding first output as an indication of the displacement of said element.