The FluidFM technology uses microchanneled atomic force microscope cantilevers that are fixed to a drilled atomic force microscope cantilevers probeholder. A continuous fluidic circuit is thereby achieved extending from an external liquid reservoir, through the probeholder and the hollow cantilever to the tip aperture. In this way, both overpressure and an underpressure can be applied to the liquid reservoir and hence to the built-in fluidic circuit. We describe in this letter how standard atomic force microscopy in combination with regulated pressure differences inside the microchanneled cantilevers can be used to displace living organisms with micrometric precision in a nondestructive way. The protocol is applicable to both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells (e.g., mammalian cells, yeasts, and bacteria) in physiological buffer. By means of this procedure, cells can also be transferred from one glass slide to another one or onto an agar medium.

Abstract-In-plane linear displacements of microelectromechanical systems are measured with subnanometer accuracy by observing the periodic micropatterns with a charge-coupled device camera attached to an optical microscope. The translation of the microstructure is retrieved from the video by phase-shift computation using discrete Fourier transform analysis. This approach is validated through measurements on silicon devices featuring steep-sided periodic microstructures. The results are consistent with the electrical readout of a bulk micromachined capacitive sensor, demonstrating the suitability of this technique for both calibration and sensing. Using a vibration isolation table, a standard deviation of σ = 0.13 nm could be achieved, enabling a measurement resolution of 0.5 nm (4σ) and a subpixel resolution better than 1/100 pixel. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) comprise integrated devices made by batch-fabrication techniques, like those adopted from silicon-based integrated circuit technology. MEMS sensors and actuators have typical feature sizes ranging from a few tens of nanometers to several hundreds of micrometers. Mechanical transducers fabricated using silicon micromachining technology have to be characterized or even calibrated and possibly trimmed electronically before being used in an instrument. To mention only a few examples, the spring constant of an atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever, the voltage-displacement quadratic response of a comb-drive electrostatic actuator, or the sensitivity of a differential capacitive sensor are all parameters that are highly dependent on the microfabrication. Hence, at micro-and nanometer scales, precise and accurate dimensions can be difficult to guarantee because of process limitations. However, there are geometric parameters that are process independent, like the pitch of a periodic micropattern that is determined solely by the design. Thus, the periodicity can be used advantageously for precise and accurate position measurements.Optical measurements are noninvasive in nature and constitute an alternative or a complement to solid-state sensors, which can be challenging to miniaturize and integrate. However, most optical techniques proposed for the characterization of static displacements, motion, and vibrations were developed to quantify the out-of-plane motion of MEMS structures, often relying on complex interferometric techniques [1]. In contrast, only very few approaches were demonstrated for high-resolution in-plane displacement measurements. With continuous illumination, the displacement of the moving part of a We introduce here an extremely simple and robust method for measuring the in-plane linear displacement of MEMS microstructures with a subnanometer resolution. It is applicable to any transducer that shows a translational displacement and features periodic microstructures. Apart from the MEMS device, the setup consists of a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera attached to a bright field optical microscope and a computer for the analysis of th...

We report on a simple parallel processing method capable of producing addressable three-dimensional (3D) nanometersized structures, such as wires, wire frames and dots. The method, which is fuIly compatible with standard micromachining, employs isotropic removal of conformally deposited material onto a prepared template, to form nanostructures in the concave corners of the template. The process results in well-defined nanometer scale structures with exact position and spatial arrangement fully determined by the tcmplate. An etching mask with nanometer size features and a nanowire pyramid on a freestanding cantilever, have been successfully fabricated, demonstrating the feasibility and potential o f this technology.

A bulk micromachining technology for fabrication of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) in a standard silicon wafer is presented. A fabrication process, suitable for full integration with on-chip electronics, employs advanced plasma processing to etch, passivate and release micromechanical structures in a single plasma system, and vertical trench isolation to obtain electrical isolation between the released components. Distinct electrical domains can be defined even on movable parts. The sophisticated electrical isolation between high-aspect-ratio single-crystal silicon (SCS) components allows simplification of the fabrication and improvement of the performance of existing devices and design of entirely new MEMS. The presented technology is an attractive platform for both fabrication and rapid prototyping of MEMS. This is due to a short processing time, a large freedom of design, high process flexibility and low-cost of the starting SCS substrate relative to SOI substrates. Several example microstructures demonstrating the capabilities of this technology have been successfully fabricated.

Several submicron probe technologies require the use of apertures to serve as electrical, optical or fluidic probes; for example, writing precisely using an atomic force microscope or near-field sensing of light reflecting from a biological surface. Controlling the size of such apertures below 100 nm is a challenge in fabrication. One way to accomplish this scale is to use high resolution tools such as deep UV or e-beam. However, these tools are wafer-scale and expensive, or only provide series fabrication. For this reason, in this study a versatile method adapted from conventional micromachining is investigated to fabricate protruding apertures on wafer-scale. This approach is called corner lithography and offers control of the size of the aperture with diameter less than 50 nm using a low-budget lithography tool. For example, by tuning the process parameters, an estimated mean size of 44.5 nm and an estimated standard deviation of 2.3 nm are found. The technique is demonstrated-based on a theoretical foundation including a statistical analysis-with the nanofabrication of apertures at the apexes of micromachined pyramids. Besides apertures, the technique enables the construction of wires, slits and dots into versatile three-dimensional structures.