Microscopic four-point probe based on SU-8 cantilevers

Keller, Stephan Sylvest; Mouaziz, S; Boero, Giovanni; Brugger, Jürgen

doi:10.1063/1.2140443

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Genolet et al [4] have already demonstrated the feasibility of such a fabrication process, presenting a reduced number of steps and therefore saving time and reducing cost production. Other authors [5,6] have also studied the advantages of cantilever sensors fabrication based on polymer technology, reaching similar conclusions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Stress and aging minimization in photoplastic AFM probes

Martin

Llobera

Villanueva

et al. 2009

Microelectronic Engineering

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Photostructurable epoxy based resists, like SU-8, are soft materials with a Young's Modulus around 4 GPa, which makes them particularly suitable as base material to fabricate Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probes for non-destructive analysis of fragile samples such as biological materials. In this work, it is shown how by introducing an appropriate processing step consisting of a hard bake, the built-in stress gradient of the final structure was considerably reduced. This improved probes properties such as initial bending and aging and proved the epoxy based resists as good candidates for the low-cost fabrication of micromechanical systems (MEMS) and devices in general.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Stress and aging minimization in photoplastic AFM probes

Martin

Llobera

Villanueva

et al. 2009

Microelectronic Engineering

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“…It can readily be applied to the fabrication of microcoils, similar to those shown in Fig. 7, for electron spin resonance microscopy and integrated four-point microprobes for electrical characterization of metallic thin films, etc., [21]. The described technology opens the way to further advances in the field of functional polymer sensors combined with surface microfabrication techniques.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Polymer-Based Cantilevers With Integrated Electrodes

Mouaziz

Boero

Popović

et al. 2006

J. Microelectromech. Syst.

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Abstract-An innovative release method of polymer cantilevers with embedded integrated metal electrodes is presented. The fabrication is based on the lithographic patterning of the electrode layout on a wafer surface, covered by two layers of SU-8 polymer: a 10-m-thick photo-structured layer for the cantilever, and a 200-m-thick layer for the chip body. The releasing method is based on dry etching of a 2-m-thick sacrificial polysilicon layer. Devices with complex electrode layout embedded in free-standing 500-m-long and 100-m-wide SU-8 cantilever were fabricated and tested. We have optimized major fabrication steps such as the optimization of the SU-8 chip geometry for reduced residual stress and for enhanced underetching, and by defining multiple metal layers [titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), bismuth (Bi)] for improved adhesion between metallic electrodes and polymer. The process was validated for a miniature 2 2 m 2 Hall-sensor integrated at the apex of a polymer microcantilever for scanning magnetic field sensing. The cantilever has a spring constant of =1 N/m and a resonance frequency of =17 kHz. Galvanometric characterization of the Hall sensor showed an input/output resistance of 200 , a device sensitivity of 0.05 V/AT and a minimum detectable magnetic flux density of 9 T/Hz 1 2 at frequencies above 1 kHz at room temperature. Quantitative magnetic field measurements of a microcoil were performed. The generic method allows for a stable integration of electrodes into polymers MEMS and it can readily be used for other types of microsensors where conducting metal electrodes are integrated in cantilevers for advanced scanning probe sensing applications.[1573]Index Terms-Dry etch, Hall sensor, integrated electrodes, polysilicon sacrificial layer, stress-reducing geometries, SU-8 cantilever, thin film metal deposition and lift off.

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“…Various materials with lower Young's modulus (<4 GPa) and larger damping coefficient, e.g. SU-8 photoresist [17], [18], have been proposed to fabricate AFM probes [17], [19]- [22], which can enable fast detection and characterization [23], [24] of fragile materials such as polymer semiconductors [25] or biological cells [26]. Therefore, polymer materials have become a new material for the preparation of fast-responding AFM probes [24], [27], [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Bandwidth Multiparametric Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy With Polymer Microcantilevers

et al. 2019

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Simultaneous and rapid measurement of the surface potential (SP) and nanomechanical properties (NMPs) of materials plays an important role in the study of, for example, piezoelectric materials and multi-component composites. In our previous study, a multiparametric Kelvin probe force microscopy (MP-KPFM) was developed to simultaneously measure SP and NMPs using traditional silicon probes. However, its temporal resolution is severely limited by the lower mechanical bandwidth of traditional silicon probes. Here, a composite atomic force microscope (AFM) probe capable of effectively increasing the measurement rate of MP-KPFM was developed. The proposed composite probe consisting of a polymer microcantilever and a silicon tip was fabricated using photolithography and microassembly techniques. Compared to the traditional silicon probe with a similar stiffness, its mechanical bandwidth is increased by about 4 times, which enables fast measurement by implementing the MP-KPFM at higher peak force drive frequencies. Experimental results show that the composite probe's peak force drive frequency is up to 4 kHz, whereas the traditional silicon probe is limited to about 1 kHz. Multiparametric mapping results of a polymer grating demonstrate the capability of the composite probe in fast and simultaneous measurement of SP and NMPs. The proposed composite probe has excellent compatibility and scalability due to the combination of the high mechanical bandwidth of the polymer microcantilever and the rigidity of the silicon tip, which provides a new idea for the development of multifunctional AFM probes.INDEX TERMS Kelvin probe force microscopy, polymer microcantilever, high-bandwidth, surface potential, nanomechanical properties.

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Microscopic four-point probe based on SU-8 cantilevers

Cited by 16 publications

References 13 publications

Stress and aging minimization in photoplastic AFM probes

Stress and aging minimization in photoplastic AFM probes

Polymer-Based Cantilevers With Integrated Electrodes

High-Bandwidth Multiparametric Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy With Polymer Microcantilevers

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