A new capacitive sensor for displacement measurement in a surface-force apparatus

We present a new capacitive sensor for displacement measurement in a surface-force apparatus which allows dynamical measurements in the range 0-100 Hz. This sensor measures the relative displacement between two macroscopic opaque surfaces over periods of time ranging from milliseconds to, in principle, an indefinite period, at a very low price and down to atomic resolution. It consists of a plane capacitor, a high frequency oscillator and a high sensitivity frequency-to-voltage converter. We use this sensor to study the nanorheological properties of dodecane confined between glass surfaces.