Design of a Hybrid Micro/Nano Cantilever-based Resonant Sensor and its Fabrication Method

Due to novel mechanical and electrical properties of nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and semiconducting oxide nanobelts, utilizing nanomaterials in micro electromechanical structure to improve performances of sensors has attracted many interests. In this paper, we report a novel micro/nano cantilever structure applying to sense accelerations based on resonant detection. The structure is comprised of a seismic micromachined inertial mass supported by two parallel ZnO nanobelts as doubly-clamped nano-cantilevers suspending between two metal electrodes located over a micromachined trench. Another bottom electrode located underneath the mass is utilized to apply electrostatic force on the mass. The acceleration normal to the mass plane induces electrostatic stiffness change and, in turn, a change in the resonant frequency. We propose design and an effective fabrication for this sensor structure.