CMOS-MEMS dynamic FM atomic force microscope

We present the first imaging results with a dynamic FM-AFM (frequency modulation atomic force microscope) on a chip. This instrument does not require any off-chip scanning hardware or position sensors. The CMOS-MEMS dynamic FM-AFM includes 3-D electrothermal actuation, 3-axis position sensing, and a flexural resonant cantilever with balanced piezoresistive detection, all integrated on a single chip. Several design principles are applied to reduce the instrument´s sensitivity to electrical and thermal coupling effects. To the best of the authors´ knowledge, this is the first integrated dynamic FM-AFM that can image a sample independently.