This paper introduces a novel micro-force sensing approach utilizing an electroplated nickel microspring and a precision linear slider (PLS) for micro-tensile testing applications. After investigating the effects of friction forces in a PLS, an electroplated nickel microspring is designed, fabricated and integrated into the PLS, and the proposed micro-force sensor concept is validated through experimental results. The microspring fabricated in this paper is limited to forces up to 6 mN with the average sensitivity of 36.63 µN/µm. It is shown that the friction forces introduce uncertainties only to the forces less than 500 µN. The proposed approach allows the fabrication of micro-force sensors for the force ranges of up to tens of Millinewtons for different applications.

The integration of biomaterials into micro/nano-sensors or micro/nano-systems is expected to improve the properties of such systems or even lead to the development of novel innovative systems. A key problem to be solved beforehand is the development and realization of proper preparation, handling and manipulation methods with respect to an industrial usage. To enable such a usage, the methods have to be automatable, robust to environmental changes as well as feasible in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). According to these points, the target of the presented efforts is to develop these methods for a future design of nanoelectronic parts and to solve packaging problems at the nanoscale. As a consequence, the paper presents a novel concept for the usage of biomaterials, such as DNA and wood fibers/fibrils, for the packaging at the nanoscale. Novel methods for the DNA-handling with an atomic force microscope (AFM) at dry conditions, which can also be used in the vacuum chamber of a SEM will be presented as well as wood fibers/fibrils manipulation methods in the SEM.

This paper introduces a microrobotic platform to manipulate and characterize individual paper fibers. Mechanical characterization of individual paper fibers determines the key parameters which affect the quality of paper sheets. Current laboratory tests are based on bulk paper fiber measurements. This paper presents a microrobotic platform which is able to characterize the flexibility of individual paper fibers directly, not in bulk amount and using indirect estimations. The flexibility of three different pulp samples is measured and the experimental results are reported.