Measurement of micromechanical properties of polysilicon microstructures with an atomic force microscope

A novel, straightforward and convenient method for measurement of micromechanical properties by beam bending using an atomic force microscope in contact mode is presented. This method combines a very high load resolution with a nanometric precision in the determination of the cantilever deflection, thus allowing accurate measurements to be made. First results applied to the determination of the Young's modulus of polysilicon cantilever beams are presented.

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