Micro-fabrication of novel SFM device using thick PZT bimorph

We proposed and micro-fabricated a new type of piezoelectric micro device which is designed to replace the force sensor, optical deflection detection unit and macro-fabricated scanner currently being used in traditional SFM systems. It is a cantilever - bridge structure that is composed of two PZT layers. The electrodes of levers are each divided into two sections. The levers can be bent in two dimensions by applying different electric fields to the separated electrodes. Bent in cantilever and bridge actuate the cantilever tip in x, y, and z directions. The cantilever can vibrate in z direction to detect the surface topography in cyclic contact mode SFM, while it scans a sample surface in x and y directions. The micro-fabrication process and the experimental results will be presented in this paper.