Bending and fatigue study on a nanoscale hinge by an atomic force microscope

Fatigue of nanostructures is one of the important issues that can affect the reliable operation of micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). Nanoscale bending and fatigue test methodologies were developed using an atomic force microscope (AFM) to measure the elastic modulus and fatigue properties of the nanoscale hinge directly on a digital micromirror device (DMD) chip. The bending and fatigue test methodologies performed on the nanoscale could potentially be applied to other MEMS/NEMS devices.