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Fast on-wafer electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical characterization of piezoresistive cantilever force sensors

Source: Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 015002 (2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3673603

Published 11 January 2012

KEYWORDS and PACS
Keywords
PACS
  • 07.10.Cm
    Micromechanical devices and systems
  • 07.10.Pz
    Instruments for strain, force, and torque
  • 85.85.+j
    Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
  • 07.07.Df
    Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing
  • YEAR: 2011
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PUBLICATION DATA
ISSN:
1553-9628 (online)
Publisher:
AIP is a member of CrossRef AIP
G. Tosolini,1 L. G. Villanueva,2 F. Perez-Murano,1 and J. Bausells1
1Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona IMB-CNM (CSIC), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
2California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
Validation of a technological process requires an intensive characterization of the performance of the resulting devices, circuits, or systems. The technology for the fabrication of micro and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) is evolving rapidly, with new kind of device concepts for applications like sensing or harvesting are being proposed and demonstrated. However, the characterization tools and methods for these new devices are still not fully developed. Here, we present an on-wafer, highly precise, and rapid characterization method to measure the mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical properties of piezoresistive cantilevers. The setup is based on a combination of probe-card and atomic force microscopy technology, it allows accessing many devices across a wafer and it can be applied to a broad range of MEMS and NEMS. Using this setup we have characterized the performance of multiple submicron thick piezoresistive cantilever force sensors. For the best design we have obtained a force sensitivity ReF = 158µV/nN, a noise of 5.8 µV (1 Hz–1 kHz) and a minimum detectable force of 37 pN with a relative standard deviation of sigmar [approximate] 8%. This small value of sigmar, together with a high fabrication yield >95%, validates our fabrication technology. These devices are intended to be used as bio-molecular detectors for the measurement of intermolecular forces between ligand and receptor molecule pairs. ©2012 American Institute of Physics
History: Received 1 July 2011; accepted 6 December 2011; published 11 January 2012
Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3673603

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