Trilayer Cantilever Probes
Silicon Nitride-Polymer probes for Scanning Probe Microscopy
General description
The Trilayer Cantilevers (TLC) feature a unique structure with Silicon Nitride films and a polymer core, resulting in increased thickness without excessive stiffness. This design significantly amplifies force sensitivity (μV/nN), surpassing standard single-crystalline Si cantilevers by a factor of 4x. Due to the low Q-factor of less than 250 (even in a vacuum), the TLC enables scanning speeds up to 10x faster than those achievable with Si or SiN-CL.
Additionally, the electrical insulation of electronic sensors within the SiN/Polymer interface ensures robustness and reliability even in harsh conditions. This feature enables the TLC to function seamlessly in electrically conductive media.
Applications
- AFM: Integration on standard AFM scanners, high speed AFM
- Force or deflection measurements
- Measurements within TEM, SEM, XPS, etc.
- Measurements in liquids – even opaque or conductive liquids.
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Trilayer Cantilevers (TLC): Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Model | Trilayer Cantilevers (TLC) |
| Material | SiN shell with polymer core |
| Tip material | Silicon or Tipless |
| Modes | Static and dynamic modes |
| Deflection sensing | On-chip piezoresistive bridge |
| Actuator | External shaker (or upon request: on-chip) |
| Electrical connections | Bonded to small PCB with connector (counterpart PCB available) or delivered as bare chip (bonding pads on-chip) |
Nominal Dimensions & Performance
| Nominal Dimensions (µm × µm × µm) | Nominal Res. Freq. (kHz) | Nominal Spring Const. (N/m) | Deflection Sensitivity* (µV/nm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 220 × 40 × 4 | 80 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 180 × 40 × 4 | 120 | 4.5 | 5 |
| 90 × 40 × 4 | 500 | 40 | 19 |
* Not amplified (signal direct at the chip), 2.048 V bridge supply.
References: Hosseini, N., et al. Nature Electronics, 2024 · DOI: 10.1038/s41928-024-01195-z
Other cantilever families
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Silicon piezo-resistive sensing cantilevers
View leaflet Silicon cantilevers · Silicon tipSelf-Sensing Cantilevers with Silicon Tip
Silicon piezo-resistive sensing cantilevers
View leafletNot sure which cantilever fits your experiment?
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