Abstract
Predicting the gas damping of microcantilevers oscillating in different vibration modes in unbounded gas at low pressures is relevant for increasing the sensitivity of microcantilever-based sensors. While existing free-molecular theories are valid only at very high Knudsen numbers, continuum models are valid only at very low Knudsen numbers. We solve the quasisteady Boltzmann equation and compute a closed-form fit for gas damping of rectangular microcantilevers that is valid over four orders of magnitude of Knudsen numbers spanning the free-molecular, the transition, and the low pressure slip flow regimes. Experiments are performed using silicon microcantilevers under controlled pressures to validate the theory.
Keywords
Boltzmann equation; cantilevers; damping; elemental semiconductors; Knudsen flow; microfluidics; microsensors; silicon; slip flow
Date of this Version
4-20-2009
Comments
© 2009 American Institute of Physics doi:10.1063/1.3122933