The microcantilever is a widely used component in microsystem devices. Its flexibility and versatility make it a popular component for diverse applications in a number of fields (e.g., environmental, biomedical, consumer products, food production). This topic discusses several applications of electromechanical systems (MEMS) cantilevers and microcantilever-based devices, how they work, and how they are made.
In this topic you explore applications of microcantilevers as transducers, sensors, and actuators in microsystems. You learn how a cantilever works, its characteristics, its properties, and its modes of operation.
The primary activity for this topic involves an in-depth study of dynamic cantilever operation and the effect that material, dimensions, and mass have on the operation of the device. The SCME "Microcantilever Model Kit" provides the materials that allow you to investigate the motion of a dynamic cantilever under varying masses and various dimensions in order to determine the relationship that expresses the resonant frequency of a cantilever as a function of mass or size. This activity simulates the dynamic mode of operation for microcantilevers used in MEMS sensors.
The concepts explored in this topic can be applied to physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, materials science, data acquisition, and micro and nanotechnologies.
- Workshop
- Micro and Nanotechnologies
