A bi-material microcantilever temperature sensor based on optical readout

As one of the simplest MEMS sensors, microcantilever can sense temperature faster and more sensitively than traditional thermometers as its small size and low thermal mass. In this paper, an Au/SiNx bi-material microcantilever temperature sensor based on optical readout is presented. The deflection of the cantilever varies with the change of temperature due to the differences in thermal expansion coefficients between gold and silicon nitride. Then, the temperature could be accurately measured by detecting the deflection of the cantilever with optical lever method. By experiments, the theoretical model is verified and the temperature characteristics of the sensor are also determined. With a commercial microcantilever, the temperature resolution of the sensor is tested to be 0.02 K when 25 mm length of optical arm set. By optimizing the microcantilever parameters, the temperature resolution of the sensor could be 0.1 mK. High sensitivity makes it suitable for some special precise temperature measurements.

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► Measuring temperature rapidly by using a microcantilever as the sensing element.
► Optical readout leads to low electrical noise and high measuring sensitivity.
► Sensing resolution can be 0.1 mK by optimizing the microcantilever parameters.
► Suiting for some special high-resolution temperature measurements.