Micromechanical cantilevers and scanning probe microscopes

Scott A. Miller; Yang Xu; Noel C. MacDonald

doi:10.1117/12.222655

26 September 1995 Micromechanical cantilevers and scanning probe microscopes

Scott A. Miller, Yang Xu, Noel C. MacDonald

Proceedings Volume 2640, Microlithography and Metrology in Micromachining; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.222655
Event: Micromachining and Microfabrication, 1995, Austin, TX, United States

Abstract

We have fabricated two microelectromechanical scanning tunneling microscopes (Micro- STMs) with 3D (xyz) actuators and integrated high aspects ratio tips. The reduction in the size of scanning probe microscopes allows for faster scanning speeds, array architectures, and massively parallel operation. The two Micro-STMs are fabricated from single crystal silicon using the high-aspect-ratio SCREAM process and are small enough to be used in array architectures. The torsional cantilever design used for out-of-plane (z) motion can be easily be adapted to scanning force microscopy. Typical atomic force microscope cantilevers have spring constants on the order of 0.01 - 10 N/m. To produce cantilevers with lower spring constants, ordinary thin film techniques would require longer (several mm) and thinner (sub- micrometers ) cantilevers. A mechanical analysis of torsional cantilevers reveals that high aspect ratio rectangular beams, such as the ones we fabricate, are easily twisted. By using the torsional design, we can achieve lower spring constants (10^-1 - 10^-7 N/m) without having to make a very thin film cantilever. We have demonstrated torsional cantilevers with spring constants on the order of 10^-2 N/m. These cantilevers can be used as extremely sensitive force sensors for atomic force microscopy.

Citation Download Citation

Scott A. Miller, Yang Xu, and Noel C. MacDonald "Micromechanical cantilevers and scanning probe microscopes", Proc. SPIE 2640, Microlithography and Metrology in Micromachining, (26 September 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.222655

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