Title: Fabrication and characterisation of piezoelectric microcantilever array with carbon nanotube tips assembled by nano-handling

Authors: Tianlei Zhang; Gang Zhao; Jiaru Chu; Wenhao Huang; Malte Bartenwerfer; Volkmar Eichhorn; Sergej Fatikow

Addresses: Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China ' Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China ' Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China ' Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China ' Division Microrobotics and Control Engineering (AMiR), University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany ' Division Microrobotics and Control Engineering (AMiR), University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany ' Division Microrobotics and Control Engineering (AMiR), University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany

Abstract: Piezoelectric microcantilever transducers based on lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film have received considerable interest because of their wide potential applications in nanotechnology, biosensors and microelectromechanical systems. In this work a self-sensing and self-actuating PZT piezoelectric cantilever array is designed and fabricated for parallel dynamic atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging. Carbon nanotube (CNT) tips are assembled to some cantilevers of the array by nano-handling to enhance the imaging quality. Detailed fabrication process of the array and nano-assembly of CNT tips are reported and characterisations of ferroelectric, piezoelectric and mechanical properties of the array are carried out and presented in this paper.

Keywords: piezoelectric microcantilever array; PZT thin films; lead zirconate titanate; carbon nanotube tips; CNT tips; nanohandling; parallel AFM imaging; atomic force microscopy; transverse piezoelectric coefficient; carbon nanotubes; nanotechnology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2014.060797

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2014 Vol.10 No.3, pp.265 - 280

Received: 21 Dec 2012
Accepted: 19 Jul 2013
Published online: 17 May 2014 *

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