A novel method using SiNW to measure stress in cantilevers

A silicon (SiNW) nanowire device, made by the bottom-up method, has been assembled in a MEMS device for measuring stress in cantilevers. The process for assembling a SiNW on a cantilever has been introduced. The current as a function of the voltage applied to a SiNW have been measured, and the different resistances before and after cantilever releasing have been observed. A parameter, η, has been derived based on the resistances. For a fixed sample, a linear relationship between η and the stress in the cantilever has been observed; and, so, it has been demonstrated that the resistance of SiNW can reflect the variation of the cantilever stress.