Table 4.
Chronological details of the evolution of micro-/nano-cantilever sensors
| Authors and year | Material set | Constituent layers | Readout technique | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binning et al. (1986) | Cantilever Au, tip diamond | Structural layer: Au | Tunneling current | AFM topological measurement |
| Gimzewski et al. (1993) | Cantilever Si, Al + Pt coating | Additional layer: Al + Pt | Optical | Calorimeter-based chemical sensing |
| Thundat et al. (1994) | Cantilever Si/Si3N4 + Au/Al coating |
Additional layer: Au/Al Structural layer: Si/Si3N4 |
Optical | Humidity and mercury vapor sensing |
| Raiteri et al. (1995) | Cantilever Si3N4 + Au/Pt coating |
Structural layer: Si3N4 Additional layer: Au/Pt |
Optical | Measurement of electrochemically induced surface stress |
| Boisen et al. (2000) | Cantilever Si, piezoresistor doped Si |
Immobilization layer: gold/polymer Protective layer: SiO2 Piezoresistive layer: p-poly-Si Isolation layer: SiO2 Structural layer: Si |
Piezoresistive | Temperature, humidity, and alcohol sensing |
| Thaysen et al. (2002) | Cantilever SU-8, piezoresistor Au |
Immobilization + isolation layer: SU-8, Piezoresistor layer: Au Structural layer: SU-8 |
Piezoresistive | Surface micro-machining |
| Rasmussen et al. (2003) | Cantilever Si3N4, piezoresistor doped polysilicon |
Immobilization layer: Au Isolation layer: SiNx Piezoresistor layer: p-poly-Si, Structural layer: SiNx |
Piezoresistive |
ssDNA sensing Bulk + surface micro-machining |
| Gammelgaard et al. (2006) | Cantilever SU-8, piezoresistor CB SU-8 |
Isolation layer: SU-8 Piezoresistor layer: CB SU-8 Structural layer: SU-8 |
Piezoresistive | Surface micro-machining |
| Zuo et al. (2006) | Cantilever SiO2, piezoresistor p-SCS |
Immobilization layer: Au Isolation layer: SiO2 Piezoresistor layer: p-SCS Structural layer: SiO2 |
Piezoresistive |
Methyl-phosphonate sensing Bulk micro-machining |
| Kale et al. (2009) | Cantilever SU-8, piezoresistor p-poly-Si |
Immobilization + isolation layer: SU-8 Piezoresistive layer: p-poly-Si, Structural layer: SU-8 |
Piezoresistive | Surface micro-machining, HWCVD |
| Seena et al. (2009) | Cantilever SU-8, piezoresistor CB SU-8 |
Immobilization + isolation layer: SU-8 Piezoresistive layer: CB SU-8 Structural layer: SU-8 |
Piezoresistive | Surface micro-machining |
| Reddy et al. (2012) | Cantilever SU-8, piezoresistor CB SU-8 |
Immobilization + isolation layer: SU-8 Piezoresistive layer: CB SU-8 Structural layer: SU-8 |
Piezoresistive |
CO sensing Surface micro-machining |
| Patil et al. (2014) | Cantilever SU-8, piezoresis or CB SU-8 |
Immobilization + isolation layer: SU-8 Piezoresistor layer: CB SU-8 Structural layer: SU-8 Prohibition layer: Au |
Piezoresistive |
Soil moisture and relative humidity (RH) sensing Surface micro-machining |