ABSTRACT A micromachined lead zirconate titanate (PZT) force sensor for scanning force microscope (SFM) is conceptualized by its piezoelectricity. The fabrication procedure is interpreted, and mechanical characteristics of the micromachined PZT force sensors with various lengths are studied in this paper. A compact SFM is constructed by using the piezoelectric PZT sensor. A very clear image is able to be taken by this SFM. The current study of the micromachined PZT force sensor can be considered as a breakthrough of design of SFM as well as a good example of integrated piezoelectric microdevices.
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