Investigations of mechanical properties of microfabricated resonators using atomic force microscopy related techniques

• The silicon nitride microresonators with non-uniform cross-section were fabricated.
• We report a characterization procedures of microstructures using atomic force microscopy methods.
• We examine mechanical properties such a stiffness of microresonators.
• We presented procedures enable local characterization of the fabricated silicon microstructures.

In this article we demonstrate application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) related techniques in characterization of mechanical properties of micromechanical resonators. The investigated structures are a group of doubly clamped beams of 100 nm thick silicon nitride fabricated by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and lithography with reflective aluminum coating of 10 nm thickness. Width and length of the fabricated and tested structures vary in the range from 3 up to 10 μm and from 20 to 80 μm respectively. In order to determine the structure stiffness force deflection curves were recorded using contact mode (CM) atomic force microscope at the defined resonator position. Moreover the contact resonance (CR) AFM was applied in order to determine the resonance frequencies of the tested microfabricated resonators. Additionally, in order to estimate the stress in the resonator bilayer structure tapping mode (TM) AFM topography investigations were conducted and the recorded topography images analyzed.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide