MEMS ring resonators for laserless AFM with sub-nanoNewton force resolution

A concept of atomic force microscopy (AFM) oscillating sensors using electromechanical silicon microresonators is presented, and imaging capabilities are demonstrated. The microresonators are designed to feature MHz resonance frequencies, and they are batch fabricated using standard silicon microtechnologies. Integrated capacitive transducers allow to drive the resonator and to sense its vibration amplitude. A nanotip is located at a maximum of displacement for sensing near-field forces when interacting with a surface. The device has been mounted on a commercial AFM setup through a dedicated probe holder and a preprocessing electronic circuit. Experiments show that intermittent contact AFM is possible with a tip vibration amplitude of a few nanometers. AFM images have been acquired on silicon micro and nanopatterns. A force resolution of 0.2 nN/√Hz is deduced from the measurements

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Source ISSN: 1057-7157
Author Algre, Emmanuelle, Xiong, Zhuang, Faucher, Marc, Walter, Benjamin, Buchaillot, Lionel, Legrand, Bernard
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 14, 2026, 13:20 (UTC)
Created May 14, 2026, 13:20 (UTC)
Identifier hal-00787407
Language en
contributor Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520 (IEMN) ; Centrale Lille-Institut supérieur de l'électronique et du numérique (ISEN)-Université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambrésis (UVHC)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF)
creator Algre, Emmanuelle
date 2012-05-14T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 68e24918-4835-402d-b4dc-d55b67cfe47c
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2024-01-24T00:00:00
relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1109/JMEMS.2011.2179012
set_spec type:ART