A silicon based nanometric oscillator for scanning force microcopy operating in the 100 MHz range

The detectable force resolution of a mechanical oscillator used in scanning farce microscopy can be, improved by increasing its natural frequency f(o) , quality factor Q, and by decreasing the spring constant k and the tempera ture of operation T. For an. oscillator having a structure that can be mode led as a concentrated mass-spring model, decreasing the mass of the oscilla tor is desirable, since high f(o) can then be obtained without increasing t he spring constant k. We have developed a novel fabrication technique for a head-neck shaped nanometric oscillator by selective etching of a laminated silicon substrate known as SIMOX. The oscillator head or mass measures 60 nm or 170 nm in thickness and 100 nm to 500 nm in, diameter, depending on t he size of the mask The neck, which serves as art elastic support for the m ass, measures 100 nm in length, The oscillator could be tailored to have it s natural frequency in the range of 0.01 GHz to 0.5 GHz, and a spring const ant between 10(-1) N/m and 10(2) N/m.