Any resonance based sensing method such as AFM or mass sensing using microfluidic cantilevers require high frequency stability. For mass measurement, a stable frequency allows for a lower mass resolution. One of the most commonly used methods to actuate these resonators is using piezoacoustics. A major downside of this method is the presence of spurious resonances, which corrugate the frequency response and can potentially degrade mass sensitivity. One way get rid of these spurious peaks is by actuating photothermally (using laser light). This thesis is focused around designing and building a photothermal AFM to explore this. Additionally, some experiments are performed comparing piezoacoustic actuation to photothermal actuation in terms of the aforementioned frequency stability and spurious peaks.