A Quasi-Concertina force-displacement MEMS probe for measuring biomechanical properties

In this work the development of a novel Quasi-Concertina (QC) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) force - displacement (F-D) sensor is presented. The developed sensor has a resolution as small as 5.6 nN and 1.25 nm and a range of as much as 5.5 × 10−3 N and 1000 μm. The performance of the microfabricated proof-of-concept QC MEMS device is in good agreement with our analytical and numerical estimates. Force sensors with these attributes will enable the mechanical properties of biological phenomena to be continuously measured over large F-D ranges without the need to change the measurement instrument. Thus, this sensor will appeal to biologists, biochemists, life scientists, clinicians, engineers, and physicist researchers working to understand the fundamentals of cell biology, the onset and progression of diseases such as cancer, and for the development of tools for the diagnostics, prophylactics and therapeutics of diseases.