Fabrication of Polymeric Microcantilevers

Polymer cantilevers are used widely in sensing applications using different transduction methods. In this paper, a polymer microcantilever is made using microstereolithography (MSL). The MSL is the latest technology emerged from applied optical instrumentation by which the micron-size structures can be created by the photopolymersation of monomers. Cantilever length, breadth, thickness, and seismic mass attached at the free end of the cantilever decide the output voltage generated by the sensor. The effect of these design parameters on the output voltage of the sensor has been studied. The microstructure fabrication process is optimised by studying the effect of laser wavelength, laser energy, scanning speed, and photoinitiator concentration on curing width and depth, that are the critical parameters that control the resolution of the fabricated structure. A cantilever design is made of 10 x 2 x 1 mm size in CimCAD and the cantilever structure is fabricated from the CAD design using the optimised values obtained from analytical and experimental study.Defence Science Journal, 2009, 59(6), pp.616-621, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.59.156