An experimental assessment of Casimir force effect in micro-electromechanical systems

An experimental setup is proposed in order to evaluate the effect of Casimir forces between two parallel plates, separated by a sub-micron gap. The results of the performed tests are critically evaluated by comparison with theoretical predictions, account taken of some peculiar features of Casimir forces for finite thickness silicon slabs. The obtained results suggest that Casimir forces could play an important role for micro and nano devices.