Interdigital cantilever as a biological sensor

Demonstrated the detection of alkanethiol in solution with a cantilever sensor based on optical interferometry. The detection method shows several improvements over the optical lever technique. The detection is differential, reducing unwanted signals from the environment. In addition, the detection is compatible with parallel operation of many cantilevers. Due to the ease with which thiols can be functionalized by attaching biological molecules, this experiment opens up the possibility of using these cantilevers as biosensors capable of detecting signals produced by DNA hybridization and protein binding.