Fabrication and characterization of microcantilever integrated with PZT thin film sensor and actuator

The purpose is to find the potential application of PZT thin film for microsensor and microactuator. Pb(Zr0.5Ti0.5)O3 thin film is deposited by sol–gel method. Piezoelectric microcantilever with two-segment top electrodes is fabricated using bulk micromachining techniques. Piezoelectricity of the deposited PZT thin film and sensing and actuation capability of the each segment of microcantilever is proved. Experiments are performed when one segment acts as an actuator or vibrator and another segment as force sensor. The results show that the proposed PZT thin film microcantilever can be used in force feedback and object manipulation simultaneously.