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This paper presents an investigation on combined surface modifications and their effects to tribological properties of Si (100) flat surfaces. At first, micro-patterns were fabricated on Si wafers using photolithography and DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) fabrication techniques. The patterns include of pillars and channels shape in micro-scales. Secondly, the Si micro-patterns were coated by thin...
In this study, stable detection principle of MEMS hardness sensor using "reference plane" structure is theoretically analyzed and demonstrated with experimental results. Hardness measurement independent to contact force instability is realized by optimum design of the reference plane. Fabricated devices were evaluated, and “shore A” hardness scale was obtained as reference in the range from...
For many decades, transistorized logic has been the foundational design of computing, which relies on simple representations of 1's and 0's in the binary language. However, binary strings can be symbolized through other various methods besides transistors, like with techniques utilized in magnetic and optical data storage media. Utilizing microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology based on the...
We experimentally demonstrate the use of simple MEMS microcantilevers as an efficient way to achieve dynamic manipulation of terahertz waves. An array of subwavelength sized microcantilevers acts as metamaterial, which can be electrostatically tuned to provide active control of light-matter interaction. The proposed metamaterial shows tuning range of 0.3 THz, which is further improved to 0.36 THz,...
Two vertical probe technologies were explored to evaluate wafer-level and 3D stack-level die test at 50 μm pitch. In one approach, Cu probe tips were serially built on a 3D silicon wafer using lithography and wet chemical etching. In a second approach, metal probe tips were fabricated by filling a silicon mold made with anisotropic etching and transferred to a silicon die. Each approach had advantages...
Mobile electronic devices know a flourishing market of highly demanding users who tend towards products with more integrated functions, smaller physical size, and better performance. In these devices, the audio systems are known to have peculiarly poor efficiency. Thus, significant research efforts are currently focused on the improvement of cell phones audio system, and in particular on energy efficiency...
This paper presents a wafer level attachment method for handling various shaped structures for MEMS processes, using parylene as an interlayer material. In this method, a handle wafer containing pillars and perforations is utilized, and structures are attached to the handle wafer through a parylene coating process realized at room temperature with no applied force. It is observed that pillars with...
This paper presents a high performance bulk silicon MEMS comb-drive actuator. Compared with other comb-drive actuators, the comb-drive actuators have an optimal cascade folded beam to achieve large displacement at low driving voltages. And unequal wide comb fingers are utilized to reduce side instability and improve pull-in voltage. With the above improvements, the displacement of the actuator can...
With an atomic force microscope, friction and wear behaviors of the friction induced hillocks on monocrystalline silicon were investigated. With the increase of normal load from one to twelve microNewtown, the friction force on silicon substrate showed a sharp increase at eight microNewtown, while the friction force on the hillocks kept a stably linear increase. Since no scratch damage was detected...
A new method which just increases cold arm thickness of U-shaped polycrystalline silicon microelectrothermal actuator was proposed to efficiently amplify normal contact force caused by a rigid object placed away from the free end of the actuator. Finite element simulation results demonstrated that this method is better than the actuator array approach to amplify the normal contact force. As far as...
Recently developed magnetoelectric (M-E) multiferroic system, Dy modified BiFeO3 (Bi0.7Dy0.3FeO3 or BDFO) exhibits ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity at room temperature with significant M-E coupling. We have been successful in developing a CMOS compatible MEMS fabrication process using BDFO and fabricated BDFO microcantilevers directly on Si. The fabricated BDFO cantilevers are tested for the actuation...
This paper reports on development of AFM-like active CMOS-MEMS conductive probes and arrays. The active probes are aimed for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging and field-emission (FE) assisted nanostructure formation. Two kinds of STM tip approaches compatible with CMOS-MEMS process — Electron-Induced Beam Deposition (EBID) and Spindt tip method — are presented, and their functionality is...
A novel oscillation system, consisting of an opposite C-shaped cantilever and a beam-shaped cantilever, has been newly designed, preliminarily fabricated and characterized for synchronized oscillation-based ultimate sensing applications. Two geometrically different cantilevers, with resonant frequencies of 300.76 kHz (detecting) and 149.77 kHz (sensing), are coupled by two coupling overhangs as micromechanical...
We present a novel application of the MEMS technology to a contactless gripper using arrayed spiral air flows, aimed at the mitigation of flow-induced vibration of levitated objects. For robot end-effector dealing with fragile objects such as silicon wafers and solar panels, we employ an air flow-based gripping technique with continuous air-blowing, which would enable damage-free handling without...
A successful approach to drastically reduce or even completely eliminate friction and wear in scanning force microscopy is the use of electrostatic modulation of the normal force acting on the tip-sample contact. In this paper we have devised, fabricated and experimentally characterized a novel electrostatically actuated AFM probe. The probe consists of a flexible cantilever that has an electrostatic...
This paper presents a MEMS device for simultaneous mechanical and electrical characterization of individual nanowires. The device consists of an electrostatic actuator and two capacitive sensors, enabling it to acquire all mechanical measurement data (force and displacement) electronically without relying on electron microscopy imaging. Electrical insulation within the suspended structures of the...
Electrostatic oscillations of conductive CNT bundles have been successfully demonstrated in air environment. Three unique characteristics have been observed and characterized. First, CNT bundles have been constructed by a simple “pick, stick and break” process using a regular probe tip from vertically aligned CNT forest on a silicon substrate. Second, CNT bundles have been actuated statically under...
Self-assembly of colloidal particles has an advantage of low cost, high productivity and applicability to various devices. The capability of assembling nano-scale particles on three dimensional structures can extend the fields of application, such as high-sensitivity gas sensors and bioassay devices with surface-functionalized particles. We demonstrate such assembly where monolayer polystyrene particles...
This paper demonstrates the first tests of friction, adhesion, and wear properties of thin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) films deposited on the sidewalls of silicon-on-insulator structures. The curves of coefficient of friction versus normal pressure were obtained for PDMS-on-PDMS, PDMS-on-silicon, and silicon-on-silicon sidewall interfaces. Tests were also completed to evaluate the effects of aging...
This paper presented the design, fabrication, and characterization of force transmitting element for MEMS tri-axial force sensor application. The transmitting element consists of two main parts: integrated silicon rod and mechanical stopper. The advantages of the design are the simplicity of fabrication process, the ability to detect force in all direction and to protect the sensing element from excessive...
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