Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Stress-induced curvature of focused ion beam fa...
View graph of relations

Stress-induced curvature of focused ion beam fabricated microcantilevers

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
Close
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>8/04/2008
<mark>Journal</mark>Micro and Nano Letters
Issue number1
Volume3
Number of pages4
Pages (from-to)25-28
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Microcantilevers with very low spring constants, as required to measure the short-range Casimir force, can be fabricated by focused ion beam thinning of conventional atomic force microscope cantilevers, but the resulting beams have a stress-induced curvature. This can be explained by consideration of the implanted gallium ions and associated damage effects in the etched surface. The problem can be overcome by using a complementary etch method in which top and bottom surfaces of the microcantilever are etched by the same amount.