Comparing Silicon and Diamond Micro-cantilevers Based Sensors for Detection of Added Mass and Stiffness Changes

Inkjet-Printed High-Q Nanocrystalline Diamond Resonators

Diamond is a highly desirable material for state-of-the-art micro-electromechanical (MEMS) devices, radio-frequency filters and mass sensors, due to its extreme properties and robustness. However, the fabrication/integration of diamond structures into Si-based components remain costly and complex. In this work, a lithography-free, low-cost method is introduced to fabricate diamond-based micro-resonators: a modified home/office desktop inkjet printer is used to locally deposit nanodiamond ink as ∅50-60 µm spots, which are grown into ≈1 µm thick nanocrystalline diamond film disks by chemical vapor deposition, and suspended by reactive ion etching. The frequency response of the fabricated structures is analyzed by laser interferometry, showing resonance frequencies in the range of ≈9-30 MHz, with Q-factors exceeding 10⁴ , and (f₀ × Q) figure of merit up to ≈2.5 × 10¹¹ Hz in vacuum. Analysis in controlled atmospheres shows a clear dependence of the Q-factors on gas pressure up until 1 atm, with Q ∝ 1/P. When applied as mass sensors, the inkjet-printed diamond resonators yield mass responsivities up to 981 Hz fg^-1 after Au deposition, and ultrahigh mass resolution up to 278 ± 48 zg, thus outperforming many similar devices produced by traditional top-down, lithography-based techniques. In summary, this work demonstrates the fabrication of functional high-performance diamond-based micro-sensors by direct inkjet printing.