Patent ID: 8719959

Claim:
A cantilever for use in a detecting device which is configured to perform a detection based on mechanical stress caused in the cantilever, comprising: at least one lever defined in the cantilever and extending in a direction in a lever plane in which the cantilever is expected to be bent, wherein the at least one lever comprises a point of operation at a first end portion and a base end at a second end portion that is opposite to the first end portion in the extending direction of the at least one lever, and at least one stress sensor formed by laminating two electrodes with an electrical insulator therebetween and provided to the at least one lever to receive the bending force of said lever, the at least one stress sensor being configured to be responsive to mechanical stress caused in the cantilever by a change of a vibration amplitude of the lever to flow a tunnel current across the two electrodes, wherein the tunnel current is a function of a distance between the two electrodes which is variable by the mechanical stress.