Optical detection for microfabricated cantilever arrays

Our vision for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is to provide a window to the microscopic world. Scanning probe microscopes with automated cantilever arrays now image surface areas in excess of one square millimeter with atomic resolution.; The crucial aspect of cantilever array systems for atomic force microscopy (AFM) is the method that is used to monitor the deflection of each cantilever. The properties of the cantilever and its detection method determine the sensitivity of the entire system. Therefore, significant effort has been directed at advancing the art of cantilever design and fabrication.; We will present new types of cantilevers and transducers that improve the speed, sensitivity, and simplicity of scanning probe microscopes. Samples are imaged at video rates with an integrated piezoelectric actuator that bends the cantilever over surface topography at high speeds. The deflection sensor, which consists of a micromachined light modulator, monitors cantilever bending with a sensitivity near one percent of an atomic diameter.; These devices also have applications beyond surface inspection. Cantilevers coated with metal form temperature sensitive bimorphs. We have fabricated two-dimensional arrays of cantilever bimorphs in the shape of spirals that directly convert modulations of infrared radiation to modulations of visible light.