Direct measurement and microscale mapping of nanoNewton to milliNewton magnetic forces

Abstract

This paper describes the direct measurement and mapping of magnetic forces/fields with microscale spatial resolution by combining a commercial microforce sensing probe with a thin-film permanent micromagnet. The main motivation of this work is to fill a critical metrology gap with a technology for direct measurement of magnetic forces from nN to 10’s of mN with sub-millimeter spatial resolution. This capability is ideal for measuring forces (which are linked to magnetic field gradients) produced by small-scale magnetic and electromagnetic devices including sensors, actuators, MEMS, micromotors, microfluidics, biomedical devices. This new measuring technique is validated by comparison of measured forces from small permanent magnets with the analytical models.