  We analytically derive and experimentally demonstrate a method for the
simultaneous measurement of deflection for large arrays of cantilevers. The
Fresnel diffraction patterns of a cantilever independently reveals tilt,
curvature, cubic and higher order bending of the cantilever. It provides a
calibrated absolute measurement of the polynomial coefficients describing the
cantilever shape, without careful alignment and could be applied to several
cantilevers simultaneously with no added complexity. We show that the method is
easily implemented, works in both liquid mediums and in air, for a broad range
of displacements and is especially suited to the requirements for multi-marker
biosensors.
