Microcantilever with integrated light-emitting Schottky barrier avalanche breakdown diodes

The design, fabrication and characterisation of a microcantilever having two back-to-back light-emitting Pt-Si Schottky diodes fabricated near the cantilever free end is reported. Visible light is emitted from the Schottky barrier junctions under reverse bias. The diodes breakdown at a voltage of 100-V and during breakdown the diodes emit light with a peak wavelength near 710-nm. This approach for integrating a light-emitting Schottky diode onto a microcantilever could be used to introduce light into scanning probe or sensing measurements.