MEMS piezoresistive ring resonator for AFM imaging with pico-Newton force resolution

A new concept of atomic force microscope (AFM) oscillating probes using electrostatic excitation and piezoresistive detection is presented. The probe is characterized by electrical methods in vacuum and by mechanical methods in air. A frequency-mixing measurement technique is developed to reduce the parasitic signal floor. The probe resonance frequencies are in the 1 MHz range and the quality factor is measured about 53 000 in vacuum and 3000 in air. The ring probe is mounted onto a commercial AFM set-up and topographic images of patterned sample surfaces are obtained. The force resolution deduced from the measurements is about 10 pN Hz^−0.5. (paper)