Abstract
This thesis demonstrated a low cost cantilever-based mass sensor with high resolution for cell mass using a fiber-based interferometer system. The mass attached to the cantilever can be measured based on spring-mass theory of a cantilever beam. The quality factor of the beam used is high enough (Q~1000) that the nature frequency shift of the cantilever could be precisely characterized. The minimum mass detected is about 575.4fg and the cantilever weighs 28.6ng. The ratio of the cantilever to the minimum is about 20ppm. The mass resolution in this system is around 57fg. The mass detection is based on Vibration Frequency Matching (VFM) method used in a fiber interferometer that is proposed to measure the difference between sample and reference vibration frequency. The concept of VFM is transforming the difference of vibration frequencies to a time dependent signals. This system’s frequency resolution is 0.15 Hz at 150 kHz.