Patent ID: 8584261

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a cantilever for use in a scanning probe microscope, the method comprising: anisotropically etching out the cantilever from monocrystal silicon to have cross-sections along a length of the cantilever in a form of an isosceles trapezoid, the cross-sections including a first flat surface corresponding to a lower base of the isosceles triangle, the first flat surface extensive along a (100) crystal plane of the monocrystal silicon, the cross-sections further including a second flat surface which is substantially parallel to the first flat surface and which corresponds to an upper base of the isosceles triangle, the cross-sections further including oblique side surfaces joining the first flat surface and the second flat surface, the oblique side surfaces extensive along a (111) crystal plane of the monocrystal silicon: measuring widths of upper and lower bases of the trapezoid and a length of the cantilever; and calculating the spring constant from Young's modulus (E), a secondary moment (I) of the cross-section of the cantilever, and the measured length (L) of the cantilever, wherein calculating the spring constant comprises calculating the secondary moment (I) from the measured widths of the upper and lower bases of the trapezoid, and an internal angle of the trapezoid defined by the predetermined crystal planes.