Smart force sensors for scanning force microscope using the micromachined piezoelectric PZT cantilevers

The fabrication, characteristics, and applications of a smart PZT force sensor and its sensor array for the scanning force microscopes are interpreted in this paper. This force sensor is a cantilever shape, with the dimension like 125-160/spl times/50/spl times/4 /spl mu/m, and is able to simultaneously execute the self-excited force sensing and z-directional actuating. Clear images and parallel images can be obtained by the SFM operated in air and in liquid with a single cantilever, and by the multiprobe SFM using a cantilever array, respectively.