Measurement of the modal shapes of inhomogeneous cantilevers using optical beam deflection

The study of free vibrations of systems such as simple cantilevers has been mainly concerned with the determination of the eigenvalues (frequencies) and eigenfunctions (modal shapes). A technique has been developed, using optical beam deflection, to measure the modal shape of a cantilever non-invasively at each modal frequency. A knowledge of the modal shapes of very small cantilevers incorporating suitable actuators is important in the application of active vibration control to micromechanical structures.