LOW-STIFFNESS SILICON CANTILEVERS FOR THERMAL WRITING AND PIEZORESISTIVE READBACK WITH THE ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPE

Low-stiffness silicon cantilevers have been developed for proposed dat a storage devices based on the atomic force microscope, in particular thermomechanical recording. The cantilevers combine a sharp tip with a n integrated piezoresistive sensor for data readback from a rotating p olycarbonate disk. A novel process was developed to make shallow piezo resistors in cantilevers 1 mu m thick, significantly thinner and there fore softer than previously possible. Readback was demonstrated at lin ear velocities up to 120 mm/s. Separate cantilevers with resistively h eated tips were fabricated for writing data marks on polycarbonate, wi th measured thermal time constants of 30 mu s. (C) 1996 American insti tute of Physics.