2D cantilever array with spherical tips for parallel force spectroscopy on cancerous cells

The nanomechanical properties of cancerous cells are of great interest to understand how a localized tumor becomes metastatic. We present a 2D cantilever array to investigate the stiffness and adhesion characteristics of multiple cells at a high throughput. A new molding process based on thermal oxidation of silicon allows us to create at a wafer scale spherical tips with a radius of curvature of 3.8 μm. Simulations show that radii ranging from 2.5 μm to 6.5 μm can be produced. The customized cantilever array system was used to simultaneously probe 13 melanoma living cells (WM239). The Young's moduli of the cells were successfully obtained with the Hertz model.