Sensors based on microcantilevers have been widely used for detecting and measuring various chemical and biological agents. Research in this area continues to grow and increasing focus is on improving their performance and applicability. Parametric resonance and amplification are two important dynamic phenomena that are finding increasing application in the field of microsensor technology. The work in this dissertation aims to exploit these dynamic effects in order to enhance the performance of and achieve new functionality in microcantilever-based mass sensors.

The first part of this dissertation considers parametric amplification of a multidegree of freedom resonant mass sensing array. Applying parametric amplification increases the effective resonant quality factors of the array, which provides an effective means of improving device sensitivity.

The second part of this dissertation examines mass sensing based on parametric resonance in the presence of detection noise. The advantage in counteracting the influence of detection noise is shown by comparing parametric to conventional linear mass sensing, in which the detection sensitivity does not deteriorate for the parametric case when a tenfold increase in detection noise is introduced. Furthermore, additional functionality of the parametric resonance based mass sensor is realized by utilizing it as a threshold detector.

The final part of this dissertation focuses on the development of a new proof-of-concept parametrically-excited microcantilever mass sensor for explosives detection. The sensor is functionalized with a receptor material that allows for the selective identification of target analytes. The response of the sensor is shown to be fast and reversible with a potential detection limit in the sub-ppb range.