High-sensitivity capacitive readout system for resonant submicrometer-scale cantilevers based sensors

We present a capacitive readout system used to detect the oscillation of a submicrometer-scale cantilever integrated monolithically in a 3.3 V, 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS standard technology from AMS. This readout system presents a total parasitic capacitance at the sense node as low as 11 fF. This parasitic capacitance is used to integrate the current generated by the cantilever-driver system that is electrostatically excited, resulting on a high-sensitivity readout system of 542/spl times/10/sup 3/ V/m with a BW of 47 MHz (@30 pF).

[1]  Gert Andersson,et al.  High resolution resonant double gate transistor , 2001 .

[2]  Gilles Amendola,et al.  Signal-Processing Electronics for a Capacitive Micro-Sensor , 2001 .

[3]  Joel Villatoro,et al.  Noise in optical measurements of cantilever deflections , 1998 .

[4]  Jakob Schelten,et al.  Piezoresistive sensors on AFM cantilevers with atomic resolution , 1998 .

[5]  B. Boser,et al.  A monolithic surface micromachined accelerometer with digital output , 1995 .

[6]  Rahul Sarpeshkar,et al.  An offset-canceling low-noise lock-in architecture for capacitive sensing , 2003, IEEE J. Solid State Circuits.

[7]  Jaume Esteve,et al.  Nanocantilever integrated with CMOS circuitry for high sensitivity mass detection , 2000 .

[8]  Khalil Najafi,et al.  A generic interface chip for capacitive sensors in low-power multi-parameter microsystems , 2000 .

[9]  T. Kenny,et al.  Attonewton force detection using ultrathin silicon cantilevers , 1997 .

[10]  Xavier Borrisé,et al.  Electromechanical model of a resonating nano-cantilever-based sensor for high-resolution and high-sensitivity mass detection , 2001 .

[11]  H. Rothuizen,et al.  Translating biomolecular recognition into nanomechanics. , 2000, Science.

[12]  Gilles Amendola,et al.  Signal processing electronics for a capacitive microsensor , 2000, Design, Test, Integration, and Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS.

[13]  O. Hansen,et al.  Optimization of sensitivity and noise in piezoresistive cantilevers , 2002 .

[14]  T. Kenny.  Nanometer-scale force sensing with MEMS devices , 2001, IEEE Sensors Journal.

[15]  G. Abadal,et al.  Design, fabrication, and characterization of a submicroelectromechanical resonator with monolithically integrated CMOS readout circuit , 2005, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems.

[16]  B. Boser,et al.  Surface micromachined accelerometers , 1995, Proceedings of the IEEE 1995 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference.

[17]  R. Howe,et al.  Multimode digital control of a suspended polysilicon microstructure , 1996 .

[18]  Albert P. Pisano,et al.  Surface-micromachined 1MHz oscillator with low-noise Pierce configuration , 1998 .

[19]  Z.J. Davis,et al.  Nanocantilever based mass sensor integrated with CMOS circuitry , 2003, TRANSDUCERS '03. 12th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems. Digest of Technical Papers (Cat. No.03TH8664).

[20]  Jaume Esteve,et al.  Monolithic integration of mass sensing nano-cantilevers with CMOS circuitry , 2003 .

[21]  Jaume Esteve,et al.  Large-signal model of a resonating cantilever-based transducer for system level electrical simulation , 2005, SPIE Microtechnologies.

[22]  T. Kenny,et al.  High-sensitivity piezoresistive cantilevers under 1000 Å thick , 1999 .