Magnetic Tweezers with Magnetic Thin Films

Magnetic tweezers consisting of a 75 x 0.65 x 0.3 x mu m(3) silicon oxide cantilever and a 72 x 13 x 0.3 x mu m(3) silicon oxide plate deposited with magnetic thin films are fabricated and placed under various magnetic fields to observe their flexure. The principle of the magnetic tweezers is magnetic torque on condition that the high shape magnetic anisotropy is designed and a highly sensitive microcantilever is fabricated. When the magnetic tweezers are placed under a horizontal magnetic field, they will close under a large magnetic field; when the magnetic tweezers are placed under a vertical magnetic field, they will open under a large magnetic field. On the other hand, the directions of magnetic field can control the distance between the magnetic tweezers. Therefore, magnetic tweezers can be expected as magnetic components in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and applied to grabbing cells in biotechniques. (C) 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics