Interferometric displacement detection in a cantilever-based non-contact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) operated in ultra-high vacuum is demonstrated for the Michelson and Fabry-Pérot modes of operation. Each mode is addressed by appropriately adjusting the distance between the fiber end delivering and collecting light and a highly reflective micro-cantilever, both together forming the interf...

The pull-in instability places substantial restrictions on the performance of electrostatically driven MEMS devices by limiting their range of travel. Our objective is to present a systematic method of carrying out optimal design of novel types of electrostatic beams that have enhanced travel ranges. In this paper, we implement a shape optimization methodology using simulated annealing to maxim...

Micro-cantilevers are frequently used as scanning probes and sensors in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). Usually micro-cantilever based sensors operate by detecting changes in cantilever vibration modes (e.g., bending or torsional vibration frequency) or surface stresses when a target analyte is adsorbed on the surface. The catalyst for chemical reactions (i.e., for a specific analyte) c...

Micro-cantilevers are now gaining popularity in biomolecular sensing. Monitoring and mass detection of biological species can be accurately determined using the microor nanoscale cantilevers. The targeted biological molecules are first immobilized onto the microcantilever which is later determined through static or dynamic techniques. Optical detection method is employed to determine the deflec...

Microcantilever-based sensors can be used to detect molecular absorption of, for example, hydrogen gas, which causes changes in the surface stress, leading to deflection of the cantilever. Such a deflection can be determined by means of optical beam deflection, capacitance-, or piezo-resistance based readout. We have recently proposed a compact integrated mechano-optical sensor using a novel an...

The movement of a micro cantilever was detected via a self constructed portable data acquisition prototype system which integrates a linear array of 32 1D amorphous silicon position sensitive detectors (PSD). The system was mounted on a microscope using a metal structure platform and the movement of the 30 μm wide by 400 μm long cantilever was tracked by analyzing the signals acquired by the 32...

In this paper, the effect of the crack on dynamic behavior of cracked micro-beam in the presence of DC and AC loads are investigated. By applying the residual axial stress and fringing field stress, a nonlinear analytical model of cracked micro-beam is presented and crack is modeled by a massless rotational spring. The governing equation of the system is solved using Galerkin procedure and shoo...

Extracting energy from ambient vibration to power wireless sensor nodes has been an attractive area of research, particularly in the automotive monitoring field. This article reports the design, analysis and testing of a vibration energy harvesting device based on a miniature asymmetric air-spaced cantilever. The developed design offers high power density, and delivers electric power that is su...

The development of cantilever-based piezoelectric vibrational energy harvesters (VEHs) is reaching a critical transition into commercial applications but being held back because the lack understanding regarding fatigue these systems. Identifying possible phenomena for VEH gives good basis knowledge creation numerical models. an electromechanical model carried out to capture property variations ...