Design, fabrication and characterization of force sensors for nanorobot

In this paper, we present a force sensor designed for a nanorobot, developed as the manipulation tool for a desktop SEM station within the ROBOSEM European project. The sensor consist of a silicon cantilever beam with a piezoresistive circuit designed for high accuracy measurement in the nanoNewton to milliNewton range. Satisfactory linearity and high resolution of the outputs of the sensor were obtained. The fabrication process and measurements of the devices are described in detail. The integration of the sensor with gripping devices is described as well.