We report the fabrication, integration, and assessment of sharp diamond tips for ultrasensitive force microscopy experiments. Two types of tips, corresponding to the upper and lower halves of a diamond nanowire, were fabricated by top-down plasma etching from a single-crystalline substrate. The lower, surface-attached halves can be directly integrated into lithographically defined nanostructure...

Optical beam deflection is a widely used method for detecting the deflection of atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilevers. This paper presents a first order derivation for the angular detection noise density which determines the lower limit for deflection sensing. Surprisingly, the cantilever radius of curvature, commonly not considered, plays a crucial role and can be exploited to decrease ang...

We present a mathematical model for the dynamics of an electrostatically actuated microcantilever. For the common case of cantilevers excited by a periodic voltage, we show that the underlying linearized dynamics are those of a periodic system described by a Mathieu equation. We present experimental results that confirm the validity of the model, and in particular, illustrate that parametric re...

Atomic force microscope (AFM) users often calibrate the spring constants of cantilevers using functionality built into individual instruments. This calibration is performed without reference to a global standard, hindering the robust comparison of force measurements reported by different laboratories. Here, we describe a virtual instrument (an internet-based initiative) whereby users from all l...

We present in-depth discussion of the design and optimization of a nanomechanical sensor using a silicon cantilever comprising a two-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) nanocavity resonator arranged in a U-shaped silicon PC waveguide. For example, the minimum detectable strain, vertical deflection at the cantilever end, and force load are observed as 0.0133%, 0.37 mum, and 0.0625 muN, respectivel...

Biosensors based on microcantilevers have become a promising tool for directly detecting biomolecular interactions with great accuracy. Microcantilevers translate molecular recognition of biomolecules into nanomechanical motion that is commonly coupled to an optical or piezoresistive read-out detector system. Biosensors based on cantilevers are a good example of how nanotechnology and biotechno...

We present a systematic investigation of the dynamic properties of silicon nitride cantilevers in air. The thermal noise spectra of cantilevers have been measured using a home-made optical deflection setup. Torsional and flexural resonances up to the seventh mode are observed. The dependence of resonance frequencies on the dimensions and mode number is studied in detail. It is found that underc...

Spring constant calibration of the atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever is of fundamental importance for quantifying the force between the AFM cantilever tip and the sample. The calibration within the framework of thin plate theory undoubtedly has a higher accuracy and broader scope than that within the well-established beam theory. However, thin plate theory-based accurate analytic determi...

We are developing a sensor capable of detecting biological species such as cells, proteins, toxins, and DNA at concentrations as low as 10-18 M. The force amplified biological sensor will take advantage of the high sensitivity of force microscope cantilevers to detect the presence of as little as one superparamagnetic particle bound to a cantilever by a sandwich immunoassay technique. The devic...

We report a wear-resistant ultrananocrystalline (UNCD) diamond tip integrated onto a heated atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever and UNCD tips integrated into arrays of heated AFM cantilevers. The UNCD tips are batch-fabricated and have apex radii of approximately 10 nm and heights up to 7 μm. The solid-state heater can reach temperatures above 600 °C and is also a resistive temperature sen...