Development of self-sensitive piezoelectric cantilever utilizing PZT thin film deposited on SOI wafer

Piezoelectric micro cantilevers were applied to a resonant type mass sensor, biosensor, vapor sensor and probe for scanning force microscopes. These devices utilize impedance, phase, and charge as output signals. However, the measurement system could be greatly simplified if an output voltage were utilized. Therefore, a self-sensitive piezoelectric cantilever with separated electrode for actuation and sensing was developed. The self-sensitive piezoelectric cantilever was fabricated from a multilayer of Pt/Ti/PZT/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/SOI through MEMS bulk micromachining. The cantilever was oscillated by a sweep sine wave and the output voltage was measured as a function of the input frequency. The resonant frequency determined from the output voltage spectrum agrees well with that measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer.