Design and optimization of parylee nanomechanical cantilevers with integrated piezoresistors for surface-stress based biochemical sensing

Parylene nanomechanical cantilevers with integrated piezoresistors were proposed for biochemical sensing based on surface-stress measurement. By using polymer as the cantilever material, the sensitivity is significantly increased. Simultaneously, parylene piezoresistive cantilevers exhibit different behaviors compared with their more rigid counterparts. Therefore new design guidelines need to be developed. An analytical model of the parylene piezoresistive cantilever was developed and verified using finite element simulation. The design optimization has also been discussed, leading to several useful design guidelines.