Effects of design parameters on sensitivity of microcantilever biosensors

Microcantilever biosensors produce cantilever bending due to differential surface stress between upper and lower surfaces of the cantilever. The bending is associated with concentration of ligands and adsorbed ligand-receptor intermolecular forces. Sample volume sizes in clinical diagnostic applications are usually very minute requiring a highly sensitive microcantilever for disease detection. This paper investigates a number of parameters that influence the sensitivity of microcantilever biosensors. The parameters include length, thickness, shape, and material of the cantilever beam. Biosensors of varying parameters are modeled and simulated. The results show that increasing the length of the cantilever beam enhances its sensitivity. However, increasing the thickness of the cantilever beam reduces its sensitivity. In static analysis, the shape of the cantilever beam does not notably impact upon its sensitivity. Also, using materials with lower Young’s modulus improves the sensitivity.