Femtotools Ag

Eth Zuerich

Felix Beyeler

Simon Muntwyler

David Beyeler

Yu Sun

Bradley Nelson

Christoph Bolliger

Daniel Frost

Wolfgang Dietze

A MEMS microforce sensor for high temperature nanoindentation is used for determining a mechanical property of a sample by sensing a deflection and measuring a force. The MEMS microforce sensor includes at least a cold movable body, a heatable movable body, a heating resistor and capacitor electrodes. The cold movable body and the heatable movable body are mechanically connected by at least one bridge and the capacitor electrodes measure a force applied on the sample by sensing the deflection of the cold movable body relative to the outer frame by a change of electrical capacitance.

MEMS-based nanoindentation force sensor with electro-thermal tip heating

A MEMS-nanoindenter chip performs nanoindentation on a specimen. The MEMS-nanoindenter chip has an intender probe joined with an indenter tip. The indenter tip indents into the specimen. A reference probe is joined with a reference tip, the reference tip touches the specimen. Sensing capabilities are provided to measure the position of the indenter probe relative to the reference probe. The MEMS-nanoindenter chip enables highly accurate measurements since the frame stiffness is not part of the measurement chain any more. Furthermore, thermal drift during the nanoindentation is considerably reduced.

MEMS nanoindenter chip with indenter probe and reference probe

A system for testing MEMS-structures includes a microforce sensor, two or more multi-axis micropositioning units, at least one electrical probe and a sample holder on which a MEMS-structure is mounted. At least one of the multi-axis micropositioning units is motorized and at least one additional micropositioning unit is equipped with at least one electrical probe to apply electrical signals or to measure electrical signals at one or multiple locations on the MEMS structure. The system with the aforementioned components allows a combined electrical and probe-based mechanical testing of MEMS-structures.

System for the combined, probe-based mechanical and electrical testing of MEMS

A micro fabricated sensor for micro-mechanical and nano-mechanical testing and nano-indentation. The sensor includes a force sensing capacitive comb drive for the sensing of a force applied to a sample, a position sensing capacitive comb drive for the sensing of the position of a sample and a micro fabricated actuator to apply a load to the sample. All the sensor components mentioned above are monolithically integrated on the same silicon MEMS chip.

Interface of a microfabricated scanning force sensor for combined force and position sensing

The mechanical characterization system includes three main parts: A sub-millinewton resolution capacitive force sensor, at least one micromanipulator with position measurement capabilities, and a microscope. The sensitive axis of the force sensor is adjustably connected via adaptor pieces to the micromanipulator at any angular orientation relative to the sample holder.

System for mechanical characterization of materials and biological samples in the sub-millinewton force range

Most mechanical tests (compression testing, tensile testing, flexure testing, shear testing) of samples in the sub-mm size scale are performed under the observation with an optical microscope or a scanning electron microscope. However, the following problems exist with prior art force sensors as e.g they cannot be used for in-plane mechanical testing (a- and b-direction) of a sample; they cannot be used for vertical testing (c-direction) of a sample. In order to overcome the before mentioned drawbacks the invention comprises the following basic working principle: A force is applied to the probe () at the probe tip () of the sensor. The force is transmitted by the sensor probe () to the movable body () of the sensor. The movable body is elastically suspended by four folded flexures (), which transduce the force into a deflection dx. This deflection is measured by an array of capacitor electrodes, called capacitive comb drive ().

Sub-millinewton capacitive MEMS force sensor for mechanical testing on a microscope

A capacitive transducer a first part containing a first set of capacitor plates and a second part relatively movable in a plane to the first part. The second part contains a second set of capacitor plates. Both sets of capacitor plates are built on a substrate, wherein the capacitor plates form a plurality of capacitors. The second part is relatively movable in all six degrees of freedom. One set of the plurality of capacitors measures displacements in a plane and a second set of the plurality capacitors measures displacements perpendicular to the plane.

Growing community of inventors

Regensdorf, Switzerland

Felix Beyeler