Wide frequency range capacitive detection of loss in a metallic cantilever using resonance and relaxation modes.

The impedance of a capacitor which embraces a charged cantilever is used to measure the mechanical properties of the cantilever material. The technique has been tested with an amorphous metallic specimen, but is applicable for many other solids. The material damping can be measured at the resonance frequency of the cantilever via the width of the resonance curve or by recording the ring-down behavior. Additionally, several decades in frequency are accessible below the resonance frequency, where values as low as nu=0.03 Hz are achieved easily. The data are analyzed with a single equation that captures the damping at all frequencies in terms of the material specific Young's modulus E and its loss angle tan delta=E"/E'.