Improved cantilever profiles for sensor elements

The problem of simultaneously enhancing sensitivity and noise immunity of microcantilevers is investigated. The dependence of deflection and resonant frequency of a microcantilever on its dimensions is studied. A principle to increase deflection and resonant frequency simultaneously is established. Several cantilevers agreeing with this principle are investigated using analytical models and are compared with FEM simulations. Using these results, a cantilever profile that achieves a larger deflection and a larger resonant frequency compared with uniform cantilevers is proposed to be used in sensor elements.