A new three dimensional (3D) atomic force microscopic (AFM) probe, referred to as the 3D-Nanoprobe, is introduced. The 3D-Nanoprobe is realized by introducing flexure hinge structures to the cantilever of a conventional critical dimension AFM (CD-AFM) probe. It has quasi-isotropic stiffness in 3D directions and is thus more powerful for detecting 3D tip-sample interaction forces in AFM measurements. In addition, the stiffness of the 3D-Nanoprobe is balanced to the bending stiffness of slender CD-AFM tips, offering improved 3D sensitivity. In this paper, a design example of a 3D-Nanoprobe based on a CD-AFM probe with a tip nominal diameter of 70 nm is presented. The design parameters are optimized via analytic modelling and the finite element analysis (FEA) method. The simulation results indicate that the designed 3D-Nanoprobe has much better performance than that of the original CD-AFM probe, for instance, its stiffness' anisotropy ratio (including the tip contribution) has been improved from 8:8:1 (x, y, z) to 0.9:0.9:1 (x, y, z). The probing sensitivity is improved by a factor of more than 106, 128 and 1.6 in x-, y-and z-direction, respectively. Moreover, the designed 3D-Nanoprobe has the first bending mode eigenfrequency of 84.4 kHz and the first torsional mode eigenfrequency of 346 kHz. The 3D-Nanoprobe has been manufactured by applying a focused ion beam (FIB) tool. Finally, to detect the full 3D interaction forces by the 3D-Nanoprobe, a new AFM-head prototype which consists of two independently adjustable dual optical levers have been developed.

In this paper we present an investigation of the influence of nanoindentation location on the top surface of silicon micro-pillar. This silicon micro-pillar array which will be employed as a micro force sensor array based on three-dimension silicon (3D Si) structures, is fabricated by near UV nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technique and etched by Cryogenic Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) sequentially. To determine its mechanical properties, those micropillars are measured by instrument indentation testing (IIT) to obtain its hardness and reduced modulus. For the measurement, a Berkovich diamond indenter is utilized to penetrate a single and also multiple point indentations on a micro-pillar surface. Afterwards, these results are compared to the indentation at the central point of the tested pillar and Si bulk as its reference to examine the influence of different probing locations on the measured reduced modulus and hardness.

The beetle Melanophila acuminata uses a specialized organ to detect infrared radiation. The organ consists of about 100 individual sensilla. The main component of the sensillum is a pressure chamber. Upon absorption of radiation, the pressure increases, and the tip of a dendrite is deformed. A unique feature of the organ is a compensation mechanism that prevents large pressures. The beetle uses this organ to detect forest fires and to navigate inside burning woods. However, the sensitivity is part of a long-lasting discussion, providing thresholds between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. To end the decade-long discussion and to provide a novel type of infrared sensor, we are developing an uncooled μ-biomimetic infrared (IR) sensor inspired by Melanophila acuminata using MEMS technology. Here, we present the development of a μ-capacitor that is used to detect pressure changes and the characterization of the compensation mechanism. We describe the microtechnological fabrication process for air-filled capacitors with a ratio of diameter-to-electrode distance of 1000 and a technique to fill the sensor bubble-free with water. Finally, we estimate the sensitivity of the beetle using a theoretical model of the sensillum.

State of the art three-dimensional atomic force microscopes (3D-AFM) cannot measure three spatial dimensions separately from each other. A 3D-AFM-head with true 3D-probing capabilities is presented in this paper. It detects the so-called 3D-Nanoprobes CD-tip displacement with a differential interferometer and an optical lever. The 3D-Nanoprobe was specifically developed for tactile 3D-probing and is applied for critical dimension (CD) measurements. A calibrated 3D-Nanoprobe shows a selectivity ratio of 50:1 on average for each of the spatial directions x, y, and z. Typical stiffness values are kx = 1.722 ± 0.083 N/m, ky = 1.511 ± 0.034 N/m, and kz = 1.64 ± 0.16 N/m resulting in a quasi-isotropic ratio of the stiffness of 1.1:0.9:1.0 in x:y:z, respectively. The probing repeatability of the developed true 3D-AFM shows a standard deviation of 0.18 nm, 0.31 nm, and 0.83 nm for x, y, and z, respectively. Two CD-line samples type IVPS100-PTB, which were perpendicularly mounted to each other, were used to test the performance of the developed true 3D-AFM: repeatability, long-term stability, pitch, and line edge roughness and linewidth roughness (LER/LWR), showing promising results.