Steep resonance of parametrically excited active MEMS cantilevers for dynamic mode in Atomic Force Microscopy

Ongoing developments in nanotechnology demand higher spatial resolution and thus, amplitude sensitivity Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). In this work, active cantilevers with integrated sensor actuator systems are parametrically excited using a novel, analog feedback circuit. With that it is possible to adapt the strength sign of cubic nonlinearity which provides bound amplitudes resonance operation . The system response shows steeper curves therefore sensitivities compared forced cantilevers. Theoretical findings validated experimentally.