Abstract
This paper attempts to describe a new type of self-excited force sensing microcantilever for dynamic scanning force microscopy (SFM). The new microcantilevers have two piezoelectric ZnO layers on a SiO/sub 2/ film. The upper piezoelectric layer can be utilized for exciting the lever and detecting the lever displacement, and the lower layer for controlling the tip-sample spacing. We have the fabricated experimental two-layer piezoelectric microcantilevers and characterized them by measuring the frequency dependence of the admittance. Using the microcantilevers, a dynamic SFM with the resolution of less than 0.3 nm at a bandwidth of 125 Hz has been successfully constructed without the external oscillatorand detector.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: