title: Effects of temperature and pressure on microcantilever resonance response.
abstract: The variation in resonance response of microcantilevers was investigated as a function of pressure (10(-2)-10(6)Pa) and temperature (290-390K) in atmospheres of helium (He) and dry nitrogen (N(2)). Our results for a silicon cantilever under vacuum show that the frequency varies in direct proportion to the temperature. The linear response is explained by the decrease in Young's modulus with increasing the temperature. However, when the cantilever is bimaterial, the response is nonlinear due to differential thermal expansion. Resonance response as a function of pressure shows three different regions, which correspond to molecular flow regime, transition regime, and viscous regime. The deflection in flow transition regime resulting from thermal variation has minimal effect on frequency. The frequency variation of the cantilever is caused mainly by changes in the mean free path of gas molecules.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique, Université de Bourgogne, F-21011, Dijon, France
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Finot
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thundat
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fabre
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nadal
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eyraud
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bourillot