  We have fabricated large arrays of mesoscopic metal rings on ultrasensitive
cantilevers. The arrays are defined by electron beam lithography and contain up
to $10^5$ rings. The rings have a circumference of 1 $\mu$m, and are made of
ultrapure (6N) Au that is deposited onto a silicon-on-insulator wafer without
an adhesion layer. Subsequent processing of the SOI wafer results in each array
being supported at the end of a free-standing cantilever. To accommodate the
large arrays while maintaining a low spring constant, the cantilevers are
nearly 1 mm in both lateral dimensions and 100 nm thick. The extreme aspect
ratio of the cantilevers, the large array size, and the absence of a sticking
layer are intended to enable measurements of the rings' average persistent
current $\langle I \rangle$ in the presence of relatively small magnetic
fields. We describe the motivation for these measurements, the fabrication of
the devices, and the characterization of the cantilevers' mechanical
properties. We also discuss the devices' expected performance in measurements
of $\langle I \rangle$.
