Thermal Characterization of Dynamic Silicon Cantilever Array Sensors by Digital Holographic Microscopy

In this paper, we apply a digital holographic microscope (DHM) in conjunction with stroboscopic acquisition synchronization. Here, the temperature-dependent decrease of the first resonance frequency (S(1)(T)) and Young’s elastic modulus (E(1)(T)) of silicon micromechanical cantilever sensors (MCSs) are measured. To perform these measurements, the MCSs are uniformly heated from T(0) = 298 K to T = 450 K while being externally actuated with a piezo-actuator in a certain frequency range close to their first resonance frequencies. At each temperature, the DHM records the time-sequence of the 3D topographies for the given frequency range. Such holographic data allow for the extracting of the out-of-plane vibrations at any relevant area of the MCSs. Next, the Bode and Nyquist diagrams are used to determine the resonant frequencies with a precision of 0.1 Hz. Our results show that the decrease of resonance frequency is a direct consequence of the reduction of the silicon elastic modulus upon heating. The measured temperature dependence of the Young’s modulus is in very good accordance with the previously-reported values, validating the reliability and applicability of this method for micromechanical sensing applications.