Langasite as a piezoelectric material for near-field microscopy resonant cantilevers

• Published in: IEEE transactions on ultrasonics, ferroelectrics, and frequency control Vol. 57; no. 11; pp. 2531 - 2536
• Main Authors: Douchet, Gabrielle, Sthal, Fabrice, Leblois, Thérèse, Bigler, Emmanuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.11.2010; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Acoustics; Atomic clocks; Atomic force microscopy; Chemical etching; Crystals; Engineering Sciences; Etching; Exact sciences and technology; Ferroelectric materials; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Materials; Micro and nanotechnologies; Microelectronics; Microscopy; Other; Physics; Piezoelectricity; Quartz; Resonant frequency; Resonators; Transduction; acoustical devices for the generation and reproduction of sound; Near field; Atomic force microscopy; Frequency modulation; Tantalum oxide; Piezoelectric sensor; Microsensor; Gallium oxide; Chemical etching; Image frequency; Quartz resonator; Cantilever beam; Lanthanum oxide; Gallium phosphate; Silicon oxides; Langasite; Miniaturization
• ISSN: 0885-3010; 1525-8955
• DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2010.1719

Quartz length-extension resonators have already been used to obtain atomically-resolved images by frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy. Other piezoelectric materials such as gallium orthophosphate (GaPO 4 ), langatate (LGT), and langasite (LGS) could be appropriate for this application. In this paper, the advantages of langasite crystal are presented and the fabrication of similar microsensors in langasite temperature-compensated cuts by chemical etching is proved. A monolithic length extension resonator, with a tip at its end, is obtained which constitutes a real advantage in regard to the existing quartz devices.