Design and fabrication of leaf-based microcantilever beams

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) cantilever beams, known for their versatility and wide-ranging applications, are extensively used in various engineering fields. In this study, we examine the frequency and damping characteristics of MEMS cantilever beams with different shapes, including uniform, diamond, hexagonal, and leaf-shaped configurations derived from a stepped rectangular cantilever beam by sweeping the vertical faces. We determined the frequency and damping characteristics of these shapes through numerical simulations. Additionally, we conducted experiments on the leaf-shaped beams. The numerical and experimental frequency values showed good agreement, with a maximum percentage error of 11.2%. Finally, we demonstrated the use of differently shaped beams as suspension springs in MEMS accelerometers. Our findings indicate that the unique geometry of leaf-shaped beams allows for the effective separation of different vibration modes:in-plane, torsional, and out-of-plane. This mode separation provides a distinct advantage over other beam shapes, such as square or hexagonal beams, by efficiently improving frequency tuning and isolating different vibrational modes.