We have successfully fabricated a novel microelectromechanical displacement sensor with a surface InAs conductive layer of nanometer-scale thickness based on MBE-grown InAs/AlGaSb heterostructures. Sub-angstrom cantilever displacement is detectable and the sensitivity increases with decreasing thickness. Tapping-mode AFM characterization clarified the frequency response of this device, showing the fundamental mode resonance frequency of about 300 kHz. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.