Micromechanical atomic force sensor head

Abstract From the Canadian patent

The micromechanical sensor head is designed to measure forces down to 10-13 N. It comprises a common base from which a cantilever beam and a beam member extend in parallel. The cantilever beam carries a sharply pointed tip of a hard material, dielectric or not, for interaction with the surface of a sample to be investigated. Bulges forming a tunneling junction protrude from facing surfaces of said beams, the gap between said bulges being adjustable by means of electrostatic forces generated by a potential (Vd) applied to a pair of electrodes respectively coated onto parallel surfaces of said beams. The sensor head consists of one single piece of semiconductor material such as, silicon or …