Fabrication, modeling and integration of a silicon technology force sensor in a piezoelectric micro-manipulator.

International audienceThis work presents the results of the integration of a force sensor fabricated with the silicon technology in a microgripper actuated by a piezoactuator system. The force sensor consists of a silicon box with an output beam. Forces acting of the beam are sensed in the clamping where the stress is maximum. The voltage read out is made by a Wheatstone bridge. Scaling of force sensors has been done using analytical and numerical tools. Piezoresistivity in the silicon sensor permits measurements of forces of several tens of mN with a resolution of 10 μN. Characterisation of sensors in the laboratory has shown the range of deflections obtained for an input force. The former sensor has been later integrated in a piezoelectric micromanipulator. The aim of this integration has been the characterization of the sensor in this new configuration and measurements of handling forces during the manipulation of micro samples in SEM and standard laboratory conditions. Results show that a force range from some mN to some hundreds of mN is measured for a sensing micromanipulator