Probe-Type Microforce Sensor for Mirco/Nano Experimental Mechanics

Abstract

In recent years with the development of MEMS and NEMS, various micro and nano scale experiments are required. In general, the smaller the sample, the smaller the force is in the measurement. But it is difficult to load and measure such small force. We developed a probe-type loading and force sensor system to measure micro/nano samples. The system employs a semiconductor strain gauge of a cantilever type sensor and a micro manipulator. A highly sensitive, stable sensing cantilever beam made of single crystal silicon is ion implanted to form the P-type resistor (strain sensor). A tungsten probe with 100 nm radius of curvature was attached to the end of the cantilever as the micro loading tip. We constructed the measurement system and investigated its properties, such as linearity, dynamic response and stability. We also employed microspeckle interferometry to calibrate the force sensor. In preliminary experiments, we successfully obtained the force resolution 0.7 μN and applied our probe-type microforce sensor to calibrate an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe beam and test a single silkworm filament.