Self-sensing cantilevers – Seeing and Feeling in the nanoworld
Fig. 1: REM image of a piezo-resistive self-sensing cantilever (Si-tip, l = 300 µm), proportions and connector
Our new supplier SCL-Sensor.Tech is market leader in the manufacturing of self-sensing cantilevers.
These cantilevers are equipped with a full piezo-resistive bridge that directly measures the cantilever signal electrically. This eliminates the space-consuming requirement for an optical readout. The free space above the cantilever now enables a variety of new applications in air and vacuum conditions. Application fields include atomic force microscopy (AFM), Torque magnetometry, force measurements and gas sensing. The cantilever is bonded onto a 5.9 mm x 4.8 mm small PCB incl. connector to facilitate handling and exchange.
Fig. 2: Different cantilever types (Si tip, l= 70 µm, diamond dip, l= 100 µm and tipless, l= 400 µm)
The cantilevers are available in various geometries, spring constants and resonant frequencies. When larger quantities are ordered, they can also be customized.
We also offer various tips for a wide range of applications: Silicon, ultra-hard diamond (SCD) or tipless.
Fig. 3, left: AFSEM measurement on bone in a SEM, right: Gas analysis with SCL cantilever (Ref. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc4610587)
Self-sensing cantilevers are suited for a great number of applications. They are the basis for a brand-new scanning electron microscope, the AFSEM, which has been developed for the integration in commercial electron microscopes by our partner GETec Microscopy (www.getec-afm.com) (see fig. 3, left).
Correlative analysis integrates the advantages of an SEM (high depth of focus, high xy-resolution) with the advantages of an AFM (high z-resolution) and combines all data in a high-resolution 3D image.Another possible application is gas sensing. Cantilevers can be used to distinguish and analyze various gas mixes (see fig. 3, right).
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