Flexural-torsional resonance mode of a chip cantilever system

Cantilever vibration modes beyond the first harmonic of the standard flexural vibration mode were intensely explored in atomic force microscopy (AFM) during the past years. One example for this development is the usage of the torsional resonance mode. Further, the lateral bending mode was investigated and applied in AFM imaging and measurement. Here, the authors report on an extraordinary resonance mode of a cantilever chip system. In this mode the cantilever performs flexural as well as torsional movements. The mode was investigated in detail by scanning laser-Doppler vibrometry. It was found that there exists an intermediate stripelike region between the cantilever and the chip, which significantly contributes to the mechanical vibrations. In addition simulations using the finite-element method were performed to explore possible natural modes of the chip cantilever system. Nanomachining was performed on samples in a highly efficient manner with help of the above described resonance mode. The atomic force microscope could be specialized for material processing tasks on the micro- and nanometer scales utilizing this resonance mode.