Scanning Electron Microscopy for Vacuum Quality Factor Measurement of Small-Size Mechanical Resonators

Many micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) are based on the use of resonant mechanical structures. In this paper, we propose scanning electron microscopy techniques that allow a direct characterization of in-plane vibrations of small-size resonators. Implementation and performance of these techniques are illustrated by vacuum quality factor measurements of an electrostatically-driven polysilicon Tang resonator and of a high Q silicon cantilever microbeam excited with an external piezoelectric actuator. These techniques are also expected to be suitable for the dynamical characterization of nanoresonators.