Piezoelectric Films for Innovations in the Field of MEMS and Biosensors

Science.gov (United States)

Muralt, P.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) were born as a new technological discipline during the 1980s (for an introductory textbook, see, for instance [1]). The idea of the pioneers was to enlarge capabilities of integrated circuits based on silicon beyond pure electronics by adding mechanical elements, which were made of silicon and further materials of semiconductor technology. The addition of mechanics extended the application range of silicon technology to motion sensors, pressure and force sensors, small actuators, and a number of acoustic and ultrasonic devices, most importantly resonators for signal treatment. In order to profit from the symbiosis with electronics, those mechanical elements should, of course, be controlled by electronic signals. Evidently, this new silicon technology makes sense only for small, miniaturized devices. The technical advantage comes from the fact that powerful thin-film deposition and patterning techniques as used for semiconductor fabrication allow unprecedented precision of mechanics in the nano- to micrometer range. As a large number of devices are produced in parallel on the same wafer (batch processing), the cost level is acceptable in spite of expensive fabrication tools, at least at high production volumes. Concerning processing, the chemistry of silicon turned out to be very helpful: high etching rates of anisotropic wet etching in a base solution (as, e.g., KOH) and anisotropic deep silicon etching in a plasma reactor are crucial issues in efficiently tailoring silicon. Over the last 20 years, MEMS technology has became a proven and mature technology with many applications. While "MEMS" is still taken as a standing brand name for the field, the actual MEMS field has become much wider than stipulated by the notion of electromechanics, including thermal, optical, magnetic, chemical, biochemical, and further functional properties. Also, the main material of the device is not necessarily silicon, but may be glass or plastics

Amorphous Diamond MEMS and Sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SULLIVAN, JOHN P.; FRIEDMANN, THOMAS A.; ASHBY, CAROL I.; DE BOER, MAARTEN P.; SCHUBERT, W. KENT; SHUL, RANDY J.; HOHLFELDER, ROBERT J.; LAVAN, D.A.

2002-06-01

This report describes a new microsystems technology for the creation of microsensors and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) using stress-free amorphous diamond (aD) films. Stress-free aD is a new material that has mechanical properties close to that of crystalline diamond, and the material is particularly promising for the development of high sensitivity microsensors and rugged and reliable MEMS. Some of the unique properties of aD include the ability to easily tailor film stress from compressive to slightly tensile, hardness and stiffness 80-90% that of crystalline diamond, very high wear resistance, a hydrophobic surface, extreme chemical inertness, chemical compatibility with silicon, controllable electrical conductivity from insulating to conducting, and biocompatibility. A variety of MEMS structures were fabricated from this material and evaluated. These structures included electrostatically-actuated comb drives, micro-tensile test structures, singly- and doubly-clamped beams, and friction and wear test structures. It was found that surface micromachined MEMS could be fabricated in this material easily and that the hydrophobic surface of the film enabled the release of structures without the need for special drying procedures or the use of applied hydrophobic coatings. Measurements using these structures revealed that aD has a Young's modulus of {approx}650 GPa, a tensile fracture strength of 8 GPa, and a fracture toughness of 8 MPa{center_dot}m {sup 1/2}. These results suggest that this material may be suitable in applications where stiction or wear is an issue. Flexural plate wave (FPW) microsensors were also fabricated from aD. These devices use membranes of aD as thin as {approx}100 nm. The performance of the aD FPW sensors was evaluated for the detection of volatile organic compounds using ethyl cellulose as the sensor coating. For comparable membrane thicknesses, the aD sensors showed better performance than silicon nitride based sensors. Greater

Optimization Of PVDF-TrFE Processing Conditions For The Fabrication Of Organic MEMS Resonators.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducrot, Pierre-Henri; Dufour, Isabelle; Ayela, Cédric

2016-01-21

This paper reports a systematic optimization of processing conditions of PVDF-TrFE piezoelectric thin films, used as integrated transducers in organic MEMS resonators. Indeed, despite data on electromechanical properties of PVDF found in the literature, optimized processing conditions that lead to these properties remain only partially described. In this work, a rigorous optimization of parameters enabling state-of-the-art piezoelectric properties of PVDF-TrFE thin films has been performed via the evaluation of the actuation performance of MEMS resonators. Conditions such as annealing duration, poling field and poling duration have been optimized and repeatability of the process has been demonstrated.

Low mass MEMS/NEMS switch for a substitute of CMOS transistor using single-walled carbon nanotube thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Min-Woo

Power dissipation is a key factor for mobile devices and other low power applications. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is the dominant integrated circuit (IC) technology responsible for a large part of this power dissipation. As the minimum feature size of CMOS devices enters into the sub 50 nanometer (nm) regime, power dissipation becomes much worse due to intrinsic physical limits. Many approaches have been studied to reduce power dissipation of deeply scaled CMOS ICs. One possible candidate is the electrostatic electromechanical switch, which could be fabricated with conventional CMOS processing techniques. They have critical advantages compared to CMOS devices such as almost zero standby leakage in the off-state due to the absence of a pn junction and a gate oxide, as well as excellent drive current in the on-state due to a metallic channel. Despite their excellent standby power dissipation, the electrostatic MEMS/NEMS switches have not been considered as a viable replacement for CMOS devices due to their large mechanical delay. Moreover, previous literature reveals that their pull-in voltage and switching speed are strongly proportional to each other. This reduces their potential advantage. However, in this work, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrated that the use of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) with very low mass density and strong mechanical properties could provide a route to move off of the conventional trend with respect to the pull-in voltage / switching speed tradeoff observed in the literature. We fabricated 2-terminal fixed- beam switches with aligned composite SWNT thin films. In this work, layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly and dielectrophoresis were selected for aligned-composite SWNT thin film deposition. The dense membranes were successfully patterned to form submicron beams by e-beam lithography and oxygen plasma etching. Fixed-fixed beam switches using these membranes successfully operated with approximately 600

RF sputtering: A viable tool for MEMS fabrication

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

being prepared by RF sputtering and their application in MEMS being explored. ... crystallographic properties were evaluated using XRD analysis (CuKα radiation ..... Bhatt V, Pal P, Chandra S 2005 Feasibility study of RF sputtered ZnO film for ...

Fabrication of Quench Condensed Thin Films Using an Integrated MEMS Fab on a Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Lally, Richard; Reeves, Jeremy; Stark, Thomas; Barrett, Lawrence; Bishop, David

Atomic calligraphy is a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based dynamic stencil nanolithography technique. Integrating MEMS devices into a bonded stacked array of three die provides a unique platform for conducting quench condensed thin film mesoscopic experiments. The atomic calligraphy Fab on a Chip process incorporates metal film sources, electrostatic comb driven stencil plate, mass sensor, temperature sensor, and target surface into one multi-die assembly. Three separate die are created using the PolyMUMPs process and are flip-chip bonded together. A die containing joule heated sources must be prepared with metal for evaporation prior to assembly. A backside etch of the middle/central die exposes the moveable stencil plate allowing the flux to pass through the stencil from the source die to the target die. The chip assembly is mounted in a cryogenic system at ultra-high vacuum for depositing extremely thin films down to single layers of atoms across targeted electrodes. Experiments such as the effect of thin film alloys or added impurities on their superconductivity can be measured in situ with this process.

Mems-based pzt/pzt bimorph thick film vibration energy harvester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Ruichao; Lei, Anders; Dahl-Petersen, Christian

2011-01-01

We describe fabrication and characterization of a significantly improved version of a MEMS-based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. The main advantage of bimorph vibration energy harvesters is that strain energy is not lost in mechanical...... support materials since only PZT is strained, and thus it has a potential for significantly higher output power. An improved process scheme for the energy harvester resulted in a robust fabrication process with a record high fabrication yield of 98.6%. Moreover, the robust fabrication process allowed...... a high pressure treatment of the screen printed PZT thick films prior to sintering, improving the PZT thick film performance and harvester power output reaches 37.1 μW at 1 g....

Development of thin film encapsulation process for piezoresistive MEMS gyroscope with wide gaps

Science.gov (United States)

Ayanoor-Vitikkate, Vipin

The gyroscope is an inertial sensor used to measure the angular rate of a rotating object. This helps to determine the pitch and yaw rate of any moving body. A number of applications have been developed for consumer and automotive markets, for e.g. vehicle stability control, navigation assist, roll over detection. These are primarily used in high-end cars, where cost is not a major factor. Other areas where a MEMS Gyro can be used are robotics, camcorder stabilization, virtual reality, and more. Primarily due to cost and the size most of these applications have not reached any significant volume. One reason for this is the relatively high cost of MEMS gyros compared to other MEMS sensors like accelerometers or pressure sensors. Generally the cost of packaging a MEMS sensor is about 85-90% of the total cost. Currently most MEMS based gyroscopes are made using bulk or surface micromachining, after which they are packaged using wafer bonding. This unfortunately leads to wastage of silicon and increase in the package size, thus reducing the yield. One way to reduce the cost of packaging is by wafer scale thin film encapsulation of MEMS gyroscopes. The goal of the present work is to fabricate a rate grade MEMS gyroscope and encapsulate it by modifying an existing thin-film encapsulation technique. Packaging is an important step towards commercialization of the device and we plan to use thin wafer scale encapsulation technique developed previously in our group to package these devices. The silicon micro machined gyroscope will be fabricated on SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) wafers using Bosch DRIE etching techniques. The encapsulation of the device is carried out using epitaxial polysilicon in order to provide a high vacuum inside the device chamber. The advantages offered by this technique are the reduction in area of the die and thus less silicon surface is wasted. In addition to this the encapsulation technique helps in creating a vacuum inside the micro device, which

Ti Ni shape memory alloy film-actuated microstructures for a MEMS probe card

Science.gov (United States)

Namazu, Takahiro; Tashiro, Youichi; Inoue, Shozo

2007-01-01

This paper describes the development of a novel silicon (Si) cantilever beam device actuated by titanium-nickel (Ti-Ni) shape memory alloy (SMA) films. A Ti-Ni SMA film can yield high work output per unit volume, so a Ti-Ni film-actuated Si cantilever beam device is a prospective tool for use as a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) probe card that provides a relatively large contact force between the probe and electrode pad in spite of its minute size. Before fabrication of the device, the thermomechanical deformation behavior of Ti-Ni SMA films with various compositions was investigated in order to determine a sufficient constituent film for a MEMS actuator. As a result, Ti-Ni films having a Ti content of 50.2 to 52.6 atomic% (at%) were found to be usable for operation as a room temperature actuator. We have developed a Ti-Ni film-actuated Si cantilever beam device, which can produce a contact force by the cantilever bending when in contact, and also by the shape memory effect (SME) of the Ti-Ni film arising from Joule heating. The SME of the Ti-Ni film can generate an additional average contact force of 200 µN with application of 500 mW to the film. In addition to physical contact, a dependable electric contact between the Au film-coated probe tip and the Al film electrode was achieved. However, the contact resistance exhibited an average value of 25 Ω, which would have to be reduced for practical use. Reliability tests confirmed the durability of the Ti-Ni film-actuated Si cantilever-beam, in that the contact resistance was constant throughout a large number of physical contacts (>104 times).

Mechanical properties of phosphorus-doped polysilicon films

CERN Document Server

Lee, S W; Kim, J P; Park, S J; Yi, S W; Cho, D I; Kim, J J

1998-01-01

Polysilicon films deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) are the most widely used structural material in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). However, the structural properties of LPCVD polysilicon films are known to vary significantly, depending on deposition conditions as well as post-deposition processes. This paper investigates the effects of phosphorus doping and texture on Young's modulus of polysilicon films. Polysilicon films are deposited at 585 .deg. C, 605 .deg. C, and 625 .deg. C to a thickness of 2 mu m. Specimens with varying phosphorus doping levels are prepared by the diffusion process at various temperatures and times using both POCl sub 3 and phosphosilicate glass (PSG) source. Texture is measured using an X-ray diffractometer. Young's modulus is estimated from the average values of the resonant frequencies measured from four-different size lateral resonators. Our results show that Young's modulus of diffusion doped polysilicon films decreases with increasing doping co...

Screen printed PZT/PZT thick film bimorph MEMS cantilever device for vibration energy harvesting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, R.; Lei, A.; Christiansen, T. L.

2011-01-01

We present a MEMS-based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. The most common piezoelectric energy harvesting devices utilize a cantilever beam of a non piezoelectric material as support beneath or in-between the piezoelectric material...

Effect of Different Post Deposition Annealing Treatments on Properties of Zinc Oxide Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arti Arora

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Two different post deposition annealing atmospheres of oxygen and forming gas have been investigated for the improvement of rf sputtered zinc oxide thin films. The results show that type of atmosphere (oxidant o reduction plays an important role in the changes observed in structural, electrical and optical properties. It has been found that the structural properties of rf sputtered zinc oxide films improve in all the annealing environments. The intensity and grain size increases as the annealing temperature increases. It has been found that films become stress free at lowest temperature in oxygen as compare to forming gas annealing. The zinc oxide films annealed in oxygen shows sufficient resistivity associated to high transmittance (83 % characteristics required for MEMS based acoustic devices.

Giant piezoelectricity on Si for hyperactive MEMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, S H; Park, J; Kim, D M; Aksyuk, V A; Das, R R; Bu, S D; Felker, D A; Lettieri, J; Vaithyanathan, V; Bharadwaja, S S N; Bassiri-Gharb, N; Chen, Y B; Sun, H P; Folkman, C M; Jang, H W; Kreft, D J; Streiffer, S K; Ramesh, R; Pan, X Q; Trolier-McKinstry, S; Schlom, D G; Rzchowski, M S; Blick, R H; Eom, C B

2011-11-18

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) incorporating active piezoelectric layers offer integrated actuation, sensing, and transduction. The broad implementation of such active MEMS has long been constrained by the inability to integrate materials with giant piezoelectric response, such as Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O(3)-PbTiO(3) (PMN-PT). We synthesized high-quality PMN-PT epitaxial thin films on vicinal (001) Si wafers with the use of an epitaxial (001) SrTiO(3) template layer with superior piezoelectric coefficients (e(31,f) = -27 ± 3 coulombs per square meter) and figures of merit for piezoelectric energy-harvesting systems. We have incorporated these heterostructures into microcantilevers that are actuated with extremely low drive voltage due to thin-film piezoelectric properties that rival bulk PMN-PT single crystals. These epitaxial heterostructures exhibit very large electromechanical coupling for ultrasound medical imaging, microfluidic control, mechanical sensing, and energy harvesting.

Mechanical and electromechanical properties of graphene and their potential application in MEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Zulfiqar H; Kermany, Atieh R; Iacopi, Francesca; Öchsner, Andreas

2017-01-01

Graphene-based micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are very promising candidates for next generation miniaturized, lightweight, and ultra-sensitive devices. In this review, we review the progress to date of the assessment of the mechanical, electromechanical, and thermomechanical properties of graphene for application in graphene-based MEMS. Graphene possesses a plethora of outstanding properties—such as a 1 TPa Young’s modulus, exceptionally high 2D failure strength that stems from its sp 2 hybridization, and strong sigma bonding between carbon atoms. Such exceptional mechanical properties can enable, for example, graphene-based sound sources capable of generating sound beyond the audible range. The recently engineered piezoelectric properties of atomic force microscope tip-pressed graphene membranes or supported graphene on SiO 2 substrates, have paved the way in fabricating graphene-based nano-generators and actuators. On the other hand, graphene’s piezoresistive properties have enabled miniaturized pressure and strain sensors. 2D graphene nano-mechanical resonators can potentially measure ultralow forces, charges and potentially detect single atomic masses. The exceptional tribology of graphene can play a significant role in achieving superlubricity. In addition, the highest reported thermal conductivity of graphene is amenable for use in chips and providing better performing MEMS, as heat is efficiently dissipated. On top of that, graphene membranes could be nano-perforated to realize specialized applications like DNA translocation and desalination. Finally, to ensure stability and reliability of the graphene-based MEMS, adhesion is an important mechanical property that should be considered. In general, graphene could be used as a structural material in resonators, sensors, actuators and nano-generators with better performance and sensitivity than conventional MEMS. (topical review)

Properties of electrophoretically deposited single wall carbon nanotube films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Junyoung; Jalali, Maryam; Campbell, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

This paper describes techniques for rapidly producing a carbon nanotube thin film by electrophoretic deposition at room temperature and determines the film mass density and electrical/mechanical properties of such films. The mechanism of electrophoretic deposition of thin layers is explained with experimental data. Also, film thickness is measured as a function of time, electrical field and suspension concentration. We use Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy to determine the film mass density. Films created in this manner have a resistivity of 2.14 × 10 −3 Ω·cm, a mass density that varies with thickness from 0.12 to 0.54 g/cm 3 , and a Young's modulus between 4.72 and 5.67 GPa. The latter was found to be independent of thickness from 77 to 134 nm. We also report on fabricating free-standing films by removing the metal seed layer under the CNT film, and selectively etching a sacrificial layer. This method could be extended to flexible photovoltaic devices or high frequency RF MEMS devices. - Highlights: • We explain the electrophoretic deposition process and mechanism of thin SWCNT film deposition. • Characterization of the SWCNT film properties including density, resistivity, transmittance, and Young's modulus. • The film density and resistivity are found to be a function of the film thickness. • Techniques developed to create free standing layers of SW-CNTs for flexible electronics and mechanical actuators

Screen printed PZT/PZT thick film bimorph MEMS cantilever device for vibration energy harvesting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Ruichao; Lei, Anders; Dahl-Petersen, Christian

2012-01-01

We present a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. Most piezoelectric energy harvesting devices use a cantilever beam of a non piezoelectric material as support beneath or in-between the piezoelectric...... elements. We show experimental results from two types PZT/PZT harvesting devices, one where the Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (PZT) thick films are high pressure treated during the fabrication and the other where the treatment is omitted. We find that with the high pressure treatment prior to PZT sintering, the films...

A fatigue test method for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films by using MEMS-based self-sensitive piezoelectric microcantilevers

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, T.; Maeda, R.; Itoh, T.

2008-11-01

In the present study, we propose a new method for the fatigue test of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films for MEMS devices by using self-sensitive piezoelectric microcantilevers developed in our previous study. We have deposited PZT thin films on SOI wafers and fabricated the microcantilevers through the MEMS microfabrication process. In the self-sensitive piezoelectric microcantilevers, the PZT thin films are separated in order to act as an actuator and a sensor. The fatigue characteristic of the PZT thin films can be evaluated by measuring the output voltage of the sensor as a function of time. When a sine wave of 20 Vpp and a dc bias of 10 V were applied to the PZT thin films for an actuator, the output voltage of the sensor fell down after 107 fatigue cycles. We have also investigated the influence of amplitude of the actuation sine wave and dc bias on the fatigue of the PZT thin films by using the proposed fatigue test method.

A fatigue test method for Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films by using MEMS-based self-sensitive piezoelectric microcantilevers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, T; Maeda, R; Itoh, T

2008-01-01

In the present study, we propose a new method for the fatigue test of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films for MEMS devices by using self-sensitive piezoelectric microcantilevers developed in our previous study. We have deposited PZT thin films on SOI wafers and fabricated the microcantilevers through the MEMS microfabrication process. In the self-sensitive piezoelectric microcantilevers, the PZT thin films are separated in order to act as an actuator and a sensor. The fatigue characteristic of the PZT thin films can be evaluated by measuring the output voltage of the sensor as a function of time. When a sine wave of 20 V pp and a dc bias of 10 V were applied to the PZT thin films for an actuator, the output voltage of the sensor fell down after 10 7 fatigue cycles. We have also investigated the influence of amplitude of the actuation sine wave and dc bias on the fatigue of the PZT thin films by using the proposed fatigue test method

Flexible-CMOS and biocompatible piezoelectric AlN material for MEMS applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, Nathan; Keeney, Lynette; Mathewson, Alan

2013-01-01

The development of a CMOS compatible flexible piezoelectric material is desired for numerous applications and in particular for biomedical MEMS devices. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is the most commonly used CMOS compatible piezoelectric material, which is typically deposited on Si in order to enhance the c-axis (002) crystal orientation which gives AlN its high piezoelectric properties. This paper reports on the successful deposition of AlN on polyimide (PI-2611) material. The AlN deposited has a FWHM (002) value of 5.1° and a piezoelectric d 33 value of 1.12 pm V −1 , and SEM images show high quality columnar grains. The highly crystalline AlN material is due to the semi-crystalline properties of the polyimide film used. Cytotoxicity testing showed the AlN/polyimide material to be non-toxic to 3T3 cells and primary neurons. Surface properties of the AlN/polyimide film were evaluated as they have a significant effect on the adhesion of cells to the film. The results show neurons adhering to the AlN surface. The results of this paper show the characterization of a new flexible-CMOS and biocompatible AlN/polyimide material for MEMS devices with improved crystallinity and piezoelectric properties. (paper)

Homogeneity Analysis of a MEMS-based PZT Thick Film Vibration Energy Harvester Manufacturing Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lei, Anders; Xu, Ruichao; Borregaard, Louise M.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a homogeneity analysis of a high yield wafer scale fabrication of MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibration energy harvesters aimed towards vibration sources with peak vibrations in the range of around 300Hz. A wafer with a yield of 91% (41/45 devices) has been...

Development of Testing Methodologies for the Mechanical Properties of MEMS

Science.gov (United States)

Ekwaro-Osire, Stephen

2003-01-01

This effort is to investigate and design testing strategies to determine the mechanical properties of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) as well as investigate the development of a MEMS Probabilistic Design Methodology (PDM). One item of potential interest is the design of a test for the Weibull size effect in pressure membranes. The Weibull size effect is a consequence of a stochastic strength response predicted from the Weibull distribution. Confirming that MEMS strength is controlled by the Weibull distribution will enable the development of a probabilistic design methodology for MEMS - similar to the GRC developed CARES/Life program for bulk ceramics. However, the primary area of investigation will most likely be analysis and modeling of material interfaces for strength as well as developing a strategy to handle stress singularities at sharp corners, filets, and material interfaces. This will be a continuation of the previous years work. The ultimate objective of this effort is to further develop and verify the ability of the Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures Life (CARES/Life) code to predict the time-dependent reliability of MEMS structures subjected to multiple transient loads.

Analysis of an Electrostatic MEMS Squeeze-film Drop Ejector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward P. Furlani

2009-10-01

Full Text Available We present an analysis of an electrostatic drop-on-demand MEMS fluid ejector. The ejector consists of a microfluidic chamber with a piston that is suspended a few microns beneath a nozzle plate. A drop is ejected when a voltage is applied between the orifice plate and the piston. This produces an electrostatic force that moves the piston towards the nozzle. The moving piston generates a squeeze-film pressure distribution that causes drop ejection. We discuss the operating physics of the ejector and present a lumped-element model for predicting its performance. We calibrate the model using coupled structural-fluidic CFD analysis.

Improving the Validity of Squeeze Film Air-Damping Model of MEMS Devices with Border Effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Bai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of squeezed film air damping is critical in the design and control of dynamic MEMS devices. The published squeezed film air damping models are generally derived from the analytical solutions of Reynolds equation or its other modified forms under the supposition of trivial pressure boundary conditions on the peripheral borders. These treatments ignoring the border effect can not give faithful result for structure with smaller air venting gap or the double-gimbaled structure in which the inner frame and outer one affect the air venting. In this paper, we use Green’s function to solve the nonlinear Reynolds equation with inhomogeneous boundary conditions. For two typical normal motion cases of parallel plate, the analytical models of squeeze film damping force with border effect are established. The viscous and inertial losses with real values and image values acoustic impedance are all included in the model. These models reduced the time consumption while giving satisfactory result. Without multifield coupling analysis, the estimation of the dynamic behavior of MEMS device is also allowed, and the simulation of the system performance is more convenient.

Electromagnetic actuation in MEMS switches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oliveira Hansen, Roana Melina de; Mátéfi-Tempfli, Mária; Chemnitz, Steffen

. Electromagnetic actuation is a very promising approach to operate such MEMS and Power MEMS devices, due to the long range, reproducible and strong forces generated by this method, among other advantages. However, the use of electromagnetic actuation in such devices requires the use of thick magnetic films, which...

Preparation of polystyrene brush film by radical chain-transfer polymerization and micromechanical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao Jing [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Chen Miao [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)], E-mail: miaochen99@yahoo.com; An Yanqing [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Liu Jianxi [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Yan Fengyuan [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)], E-mail: fyyan@lzb.ac.cn

2008-12-30

A radical chain-transfer polymerization technique has been applied to graft-polymerize brushes of polystyrene (PSt) on single-crystal silicon substrates. 3-Mercapto-propyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), as a chain-transfer agent for grafting, was immobilized on the silicon surface by a self-assembling process. The structure and morphology of the graft-functionalized silicon surfaces were characterized by the means of contact-angle measurement, ellipsometric thickness measurement, Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nanotribological and micromechanical properties of the as-prepared polymer brush films were investigated by frictional force microscopy (FFM), force-volume analysis and scratch test. The results indicate that the friction properties of the grafted polymer films can be improved significantly by the treatment of toluene, and the chemically bonded polystyrene film exhibits superior scratch resistance behavior compared with the spin-coated polystyrene film. The resultant polystyrene brush film is expected to develop as a potential lubrication coating for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

NSF/AFOSR/ASME Workshop on Tribology Issues and Opportunities in MEMS

CERN Document Server

1998-01-01

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is already about a billion dollars a year industry and is growing rapidly. So far major emphasis has been placed on the fabrication processes for various devices. There are serious issues related to tribology, mechanics, surfacechemistry and materials science in the operationand manufacturingof many MEMS devices and these issues are preventing an even faster commercialization. Very little is understood about tribology and mechanical properties on micro- to nanoscales of the materials used in the construction of MEMS devices. The MEMS community needs to be exposed to the state-of-the-artoftribology and vice versa. Fundamental understanding of friction/stiction, wear and the role of surface contamination and environmental debris in micro devices is required. There are significantadhesion, friction and wear issues in manufacturing and actual use, facing the MEMS industry. Very little is understood about the tribology of bulk silicon and polysilicon films used in the constr...

Investigation of Top/bottom Electrode and Diffusion Barrier Layer for PZT thick film MEMS Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Thomas; Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Lou-Møller, R.

2007-01-01

In this work screen printed piezoelectric Ferroperm PZ26 lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick film is used for two MEMS devices. A test structure is used to investigate several aspects regarding bottom and top electrodes. 450 nm ZrO2 thin film is found to be an insufficient diffusion barrier layer...... for thick film PZT sintered at 850degC. E-beam evaporated Al and Pt is patterned on PZT with a lift-off process with a line width down to 3 mum. The roughness of the PZT is found to have a strong influence on the conductance of the top electrode....

Magnetron sputtered Cu{sub 3}N/NiTiCu shape memory thin film heterostructures for MEMS applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaur, Navjot; Choudhary, Nitin [Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Functional Nanomaterials Research Lab, Department of Physics and Centre of Nanotechnology (India); Goyal, Rajendra N. [Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Department of Chemistry (India); Viladkar, S. [Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Functional Nanomaterials Research Lab, Department of Physics and Centre of Nanotechnology (India); Matai, I.; Gopinath, P. [Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, Centre for Nanotechnology (India); Chockalingam, S. [Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Department of Biotechnology (India); Kaur, Davinder, E-mail: dkaurfph@iitr.ernet.in [Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Functional Nanomaterials Research Lab, Department of Physics and Centre of Nanotechnology (India)

2013-03-15

In the present study, for the first time, Cu{sub 3}N/NiTiCu/Si heterostructures were successfully grown using magnetron sputtering technique. Nanocrystalline copper nitride (Cu{sub 3}N with thickness {approx}200 nm) thin films and copper nanodots were subsequently deposited on the surface of 2-{mu}m-thick NiTiCu shape memory thin films in order to improve the surface corrosion and nickel release properties of NiTiCu thin films. Interestingly, the phase transformation from martensite phase to austenite phase has been observed in Cu{sub 3}N/NiTiCu heterostructures with corresponding change in texture and surface morphology of top Cu{sub 3}N films. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope images of the heterostructures reveals the formation of 20-nm-sized copper nanodots on NiTiCu surface at higher deposition temperature (450 Degree-Sign C) of Cu{sub 3}N. Cu{sub 3}N passivated NiTiCu films possess low corrosion current density with higher corrosion potential and, therefore, better corrosion resistance as compared to pure NiTiCu films. The concentration of Ni released from the Cu{sub 3}N/NiTiCu samples was observed to be much less than that of pure NiTiCu film. It can be reduced to the factor of about one-ninth after the surface passivation resulting in smooth, homogeneous and highly corrosion resistant surface. The antibacterial and cytotoxicity of pure and Cu{sub 3}N coated NiTiCu thin films were investigated through green fluorescent protein expressing E. coli bacteria and human embryonic kidney cells. The results show the strong antibacterial property and non cytotoxicity of Cu{sub 3}N/NiTiCu heterostructure. This work is of immense technological importance due to variety of BioMEMS applications.

MEMS linear and nonlinear statics and dynamics

CERN Document Server

Younis, Mohammad I

2011-01-01

MEMS Linear and Nonlinear Statics and Dynamics presents the necessary analytical and computational tools for MEMS designers to model and simulate most known MEMS devices, structures, and phenomena. This book also provides an in-depth analysis and treatment of the most common static and dynamic phenomena in MEMS that are encountered by engineers. Coverage also includes nonlinear modeling approaches to modeling various MEMS phenomena of a nonlinear nature, such as those due to electrostatic forces, squeeze-film damping, and large deflection of structures. The book also: Includes examples of nume

Effects of spacer layer on growth, stress and magnetic properties of sputtered permalloy film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, S.F.; Lubitz, P.; Zheng, Y.; Edelstein, A.S.

2004-01-01

A microelectromechanical (MEMS) flux concentrator (J. Appl. phys. 91 (2002) 7795), is a device that will minimize 1/f noise in magnetic sensors by modulating the magnetic field at the position of the sensor. This requires high permeability and low stress permalloy (Py) films to be deposited on the MEMS flaps (J. Appl. phys. 91 (2002) 7795). Py (Ni 80 Fe 20 ) films from 100 to 560 nm thick were deposited on Si substrates using DC magnetron sputtering. The effects of deposition conditions on the grain morphology, texture, stress and magnetic properties were studied. Lower sputtering pressure changes film stress from tension to compression and increases the out of film plane texture, while higher power increases tension and texture. Neutral film stress was obtained with 100 W of sputtering power and 1.25 mTorr of Ar gas pressure. With increasing thickness, the Py film was found to develop a stripe-like domain configuration at low fields because of strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. The critical thickness is around 180 nm.This may be explained by a competition between planar demagnetization fields and columnar magnetic anisotropy. Adding 5 nm of Ta or Cr layer as spacer successfully broke up the continuity of the magnetic structure and allowed us to produce high-permeability films by fabricating (Ta/Py) or (Cr/Py) multilayer films with each Py layer thinner than the critical thickness

Film-Evaporation MEMS Tunable Array for Picosat Propulsion and Thermal Control

Science.gov (United States)

Alexeenko, Alina; Cardiff, Eric; Martinez, Andres; Petro, Andrew

2015-01-01

The Film-Evaporation MEMS Tunable Array (FEMTA) concept for propulsion and thermal control of picosats exploits microscale surface tension effect in conjunction with temperature- dependent vapor pressure to realize compact, tunable and low-power thermal valving system. The FEMTA is intended to be a self-contained propulsion unit requiring only a low-voltage DC power source to operate. The microfabricated thermal valving and very-high-integration level enables fast high-capacity cooling and high-resolution, low-power micropropulsion for picosats that is superior to existing smallsat micropropulsion and thermal management alternatives.

MEMS for Tunable Photonic Metamaterial Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Thomas

Photonic metamaterials are materials whose optical properties are derived from artificially-structured sub-wavelength unit cells, rather than from the bulk properties of the constituent materials. Examples of metamaterials include plasmonic materials, negative index materials, and electromagnetic cloaks. While advances in simulation tools and nanofabrication methods have allowed this field to grow over the past several decades, many challenges still exist. This thesis addresses two of these challenges: fabrication of photonic metamaterials with tunable responses and high-throughput nanofabrication methods for these materials. The design, fabrication, and optical characterization of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) tunable plasmonic spectrometer are presented. An array of holes in a gold film, with plasmon resonance in the mid-infrared, is suspended above a gold reflector, forming a Fabry-Perot interferometer of tunable length. The spectra exhibit the convolution of extraordinary optical transmission through the holes and Fabry-Perot resonances. Using MEMS, the interferometer length is modulated from 1.7 mum to 21.67 mum , thereby tuning the free spectral range from about 2900 wavenumbers to 230.7 wavenumbers and shifting the reflection minima and maxima across the infrared. Due to its broad spectral tunability in the fingerprint region of the mid-infrared, this device shows promise as a tunable biological sensing device. To address the issue of high-throughput, high-resolution fabrication of optical metamaterials, atomic calligraphy, a MEMS-based dynamic stencil lithography technique for resist-free fabrication of photonic metamaterials on unconventional substrates, has been developed. The MEMS consists of a moveable stencil, which can be actuated with nanometer precision using electrostatic comb drive actuators. A fabrication method and flip chip method have been developed, enabling evaporation of metals through the device handle for fabrication on an

SMA Foils for MEMS: From Material Properties to the Engineering of Microdevices

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, Manfred; Ossmer, Hinnerk; Gueltig, Marcel; Megnin, Christof

2018-03-01

In the early nineties, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has been still in its infancy. As silicon (Si) is not a transducer material, it was clear at the very beginning that mechanically active materials had to be introduced to MEMS in order to enable functional microdevices with actuation capability beyond electrostatics. At that time, shape memory alloys (SMAs) have been available in bulk form, mainly as SMA wires and SMA plates. On the macro scale, these materials show highest work densities compared to other actuation principles in the order of 107 J/m3, which stimulated research on the integration of SMA to MEMS. Subsequently, two approaches for producing planar materials have been initiated (1) magnetron sputtering of SMA thin films and (2) the integration of rolled SMA foils, which both turned out to be very successful creating a paradigm change in microactuation technology. The following review covers important milestones of the research and development of SMA foil-based microactuators including materials characterization, design engineering, technology, and demonstrator development as well as first commercial products.

SMA Foils for MEMS: From Material Properties to the Engineering of Microdevices

Science.gov (United States)

Kohl, Manfred; Ossmer, Hinnerk; Gueltig, Marcel; Megnin, Christof

2017-12-01

In the early nineties, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has been still in its infancy. As silicon (Si) is not a transducer material, it was clear at the very beginning that mechanically active materials had to be introduced to MEMS in order to enable functional microdevices with actuation capability beyond electrostatics. At that time, shape memory alloys (SMAs) have been available in bulk form, mainly as SMA wires and SMA plates. On the macro scale, these materials show highest work densities compared to other actuation principles in the order of 107 J/m3, which stimulated research on the integration of SMA to MEMS. Subsequently, two approaches for producing planar materials have been initiated (1) magnetron sputtering of SMA thin films and (2) the integration of rolled SMA foils, which both turned out to be very successful creating a paradigm change in microactuation technology. The following review covers important milestones of the research and development of SMA foil-based microactuators including materials characterization, design engineering, technology, and demonstrator development as well as first commercial products.

a Brief Survey on Basic Properties of Thin Films for Device Application

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, M. C.; Shekhawat, M. S.

Thin film materials are the key elements of continued technological advances made in the fields of optoelectronic, photonic and magnetic devices. Thin film studies have directly or indirectly advanced many new areas of research in solid state physics and chemistry which are based on phenomena uniquely characteristic of the thickness, geometry and structure of the film. The processing of materials into thin films allows easy integration into various types of devices. Thin films are extremely thermally stable and reasonably hard, but they are fragile. On the other hand organic materials have reasonable thermal stability and are tough, but are soft. Thin film mechanical properties can be measured by tensile testing of freestanding films and by the micro beam cantilever deflection technique, but the easiest way is by means of nanoindentation. Optical experiments provide a good way of examining the properties of semiconductors. Particularly measuring the absorption coefficient for various energies gives information about the band gaps of the material. Thin film materials have been used in semiconductor devices, wireless communications, telecommunications, integrated circuits, rectifiers, transistors, solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photoconductors and light crystal displays, lithography, micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) and multifunctional emerging coatings, as well as other emerging cutting technologies.

Determining the thermal expansion coefficient of thin films for a CMOS MEMS process using test cantilevers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Chao-Lin; Fang, Weileun; Tsai, Ming-Han

2015-01-01

Many standard CMOS processes, provided by existing foundries, are available. These standard CMOS processes, with stacking of various metal and dielectric layers, have been extensively applied in integrated circuits as well as micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). It is of importance to determine the material properties of the metal and dielectric films to predict the performance and reliability of micro devices. This study employs an existing approach to determine the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of metal and dielectric films for standard CMOS processes. Test cantilevers with different stacking of metal and dielectric layers for standard CMOS processes have been designed and implemented. The CTEs of standard CMOS films can be determined from measurements of the out-of-plane thermal deformations of the test cantilevers. To demonstrate the feasibility of the present approach, thin films prepared by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacture Company 0.35 μm 2P4M CMOS process are characterized. Eight test cantilevers with different stacking of CMOS layers and an auxiliary Si cantilever on a SOI wafer are fabricated. The equivalent elastic moduli and CTEs of the CMOS thin films including the metal and dielectric layers are determined, respectively, from the resonant frequency and static thermal deformation of the test cantilevers. Moreover, thermal deformations of cantilevers with stacked layers different to those of the test beams have been employed to verify the measured CTEs and elastic moduli. (paper)

Design and Optimization of AlN based RF MEMS Switches

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan Ziko, Mehadi; Koel, Ants

2018-05-01

Radio frequency microelectromechanical system (RF MEMS) switch technology might have potential to replace the semiconductor technology in future communication systems as well as communication satellites, wireless and mobile phones. This study is to explore the possibilities of RF MEMS switch design and optimization with aluminium nitride (AlN) thin film as the piezoelectric actuation material. Achieving low actuation voltage and high contact force with optimal geometry using the principle of piezoelectric effect is the main motivation for this research. Analytical and numerical modelling of single beam type RF MEMS switch used to analyse the design parameters and optimize them for the minimum actuation voltage and high contact force. An analytical model using isotropic AlN material properties used to obtain the optimal parameters. The optimized geometry of the device length, width and thickness are 2000 µm, 500 µm and 0.6 µm respectively obtained for the single beam RF MEMS switch. Low actuation voltage and high contact force with optimal geometry are less than 2 Vand 100 µN obtained by analytical analysis. Additionally, the single beam RF MEMS switch are optimized and validated by comparing the analytical and finite element modelling (FEM) analysis.

Surface chemistry and tribology of MEMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Maboudian, Roya; Carraro, Carlo

2004-01-01

The microscopic length scale and high surface-to-volume ratio, characteristic of microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS), dictate that surface properties are of paramount importance. This review deals with the effects of surface chemical treatments on tribological properties (adhesion, friction, and wear) of MEMS devices. After a brief review of materials and processes that are utilized in MEMS technology, the relevant tribological and chemical issues are discussed. Various MEMS microinstruments are discussed, which are commonly employed to perform adhesion, friction, and wear measurements. The effects of different surface treatments on the reported tribological properties are discussed.

IMAP: Interferometry for Material Property Measurement in MEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, B.D.; Miller, S.L.; de Boer, M.P.

1999-03-10

An interferometric technique has been developed for non-destructive, high-confidence, in-situ determination of material properties in MEMS. By using interferometry to measure the full deflection curves of beams pulled toward the substrate under electrostatic loads, the actual behavior of the beams has been modeled. No other method for determining material properties allows such detailed knowledge of device behavior to be gathered. Values for material properties and non-idealities (such as support post compliance) have then been extracted which minimize the error between the measured and modeled deflections. High accuracy and resolution have been demonstrated, allowing the measurements to be used to enhance process control.

MEMS/MOEMS foundry services at INO

Science.gov (United States)

García-Blanco, Sonia; Ilias, Samir; Williamson, Fraser; Généreux, Francis; Le Noc, Loïc; Poirier, Michel; Proulx, Christian; Tremblay, Bruno; Provençal, Francis; Desroches, Yan; Caron, Jean-Sol; Larouche, Carl; Beaupré, Patrick; Fortin, Benoit; Topart, Patrice; Picard, Francis; Alain, Christine; Pope, Timothy; Jerominek, Hubert

2010-06-01

In the MEMS manufacturing world, the "fabless" model is getting increasing importance in recent years as a way for MEMS manufactures and startups to minimize equipment costs and initial capital investment. In order for this model to be successful, the fabless company needs to work closely with a MEMS foundry service provider. Due to the lack of standardization in MEMS processes, as opposed to CMOS microfabrication, the experience in MEMS development processes and the flexibility of the MEMS foundry are of vital importance. A multidisciplinary team together with a complete microfabrication toolset allows INO to offer unique MEMS foundry services to fabless companies looking for low to mid-volume production. Companies that benefit from their own microfabrication facilities can also be interested in INO's assistance in conducting their research and development work during periods where production runs keep their whole staff busy. Services include design, prototyping, fabrication, packaging, and testing of various MEMS and MOEMS devices on wafers fully compatible with CMOS integration. Wafer diameters ranging typically from 1 inch to 6 inches can be accepted while 8-inch wafers can be processed in some instances. Standard microfabrication techniques such as metal, dielectric, and semiconductor film deposition and etching as well as photolithographic pattern transfer are available. A stepper permits reduction of the critical dimension to around 0.4 μm. Metals deposited by vacuum deposition methods include Au, Ag, Al, Al alloys, Ti, Cr, Cu, Mo, MoCr, Ni, Pt, and V with thickness varying from 5 nm to 2 μm. Electroplating of several materials including Ni, Au and In is also available. In addition, INO has developed and built a gold black deposition facility to answer customer's needs for broadband microbolometric detectors. The gold black deposited presents specular reflectance of less than 10% in the wavelength range from 0.2 μm to 100 μm with thickness ranging from

Pre-stressed piezoelectric bimorph micro-actuators based on machined 40 µm PZT thick films: batch scale fabrication and integration with MEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, S A; Jourdain, R P; Owens, S

2010-01-01

The projected force–displacement capability of piezoelectric ceramic films in the 20–50 µm thickness range suggests that they are well suited to many micro-fluidic and micro-pneumatic applications. Furthermore when they are configured as bending actuators and operated at ∼ 1 V µm −1 they do not necessarily conform to the high-voltage, very low-displacement piezoelectric stereotype. Even so they are rarely found today in commercial micro-electromechanical devices, such as micro-pumps and micro-valves, and the main barriers to making them much more widely available would appear to be processing incompatibilities rather than commercial desirability. In particular, the issues associated with integration of these devices into MEMS at the production level are highly significant and they have perhaps received less attention in the mainstream than they deserve. This paper describes a fabrication route based on ultra-precision ceramic machining and full-wafer bonding for cost-effective batch scale production of thick film PZT bimorph micro-actuators and their integration with MEMS. The resulting actuators are pre-stressed (ceramic in compression) which gives them added performance, they are true bimorphs with bi-directional capability and they exhibit full bulk piezoelectric ceramic properties. The devices are designed to integrate with ancillary systems components using transfer-bonding techniques. The work forms part of the European Framework 6 Project 'Q2M—Quality to Micro'

Investigation of Top/Bottom electrode and Diffusion Barrier Layer for PZT Thick Film MEMS Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Pedersen, Thomas; Thomsen, Erik Vilain

2008-01-01

Top and bottom electrodes for screen printed piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate, Pb(ZrxTi1 - x)O3 (PZT) thick film are investigated with respect to future MEMS devices. Down to 100 nm thick E-beam evaporated Al and Pt films are patterned as top electrodes on the PZT using a lift-off process...... with a line width down to 3 μ m. A 700 nm thick ZrO2 layer as insolating diffusion barrier layer is found to be insufficient as barrier layer for PZT on a silicon substrate sintered at 850°C. EDX shows diffusion of Si into the PZT layer....

Effect of Substrate Roughness on Adhesion and Structural Properties of Ti-Ni Shape Memory Alloy Thin Film.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Donghwan; Lee, Hyunsuk; Bae, Joohyeon; Jeong, Hyomin; Choi, Byeongkeun; Nam, Taehyun; Noh, Jungpil

2018-09-01

Ti-Ni shape memory alloy (SMA) thin films are very attractive material for industrial and medical applications such as micro-actuator, micro-sensors, and stents for blood vessels. An important property besides shape memory effect in the application of SMA thin films is the adhesion between the film and the substrate. When using thin films as micro-actuators or micro-sensors in MEMS, the film must be strongly adhered to the substrate. On the other hand, when using SMA thin films in medical devices such as stents, the deposited alloy thin film must be easily separable from the substrate for efficient processing. In this study, we investigated the effect of substrate roughness on the adhesion of Ti-Ni SMA thin films, as well as the structural properties and phase-transformation behavior of the fabricated films. Ti-Ni SMA thin films were deposited onto etched glass substrates with magnetron sputtering. Radio frequency plasma was used for etching the substrate. The adhesion properties were investigated through progressive scratch test. Structural properties of the films were determined via Feld emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. Phase transformation behaviors were observed with differential scanning calorimetry and low temperature-XRD. Ti-Ni SMA thin film deposited onto rough substrate provides higher adhesive strength than smooth substrate. However the roughness of the substrate has no influence on the growth and crystallization of the Ti-Ni SMA thin films.

Mechanical characterization of poly-SiGe layers for CMOS–MEMS integrated application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Modlinski, Robert; Witvrouw, Ann; Verbist, Agnes; De Wolf, Ingrid; Puers, Robert

2010-01-01

Measuring mechanical properties at the microscale is essential to understand and to fabricate reliable MEMS. In this paper a tensile testing system and matching microscale test samples are presented. The test samples have a dog-bone-like structure. They are designed to mimic standard macro-tensile test samples. The micro-tensile tests are used to characterize 0.9 µm thick polycrystalline silicon germanium (poly-SiGe) films. The poly-SiGe film, that can be considered as a close equivalent to polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), is studied as a very promising material for use in CMOS/MEMS integration in a single chip due to its low-temperature LPCVD deposition (T < 450 °C). The fabrication process of the poly-SiGe micro-tensile test structure is explained in detail: the design, the processing and post-processing, the testing and finally the results' discussion. The poly-SiGe micro-tensile results are also compared with nanoindentation data obtained on the same poly-SiGe films as well as with results obtained by other research groups

Mechanical characterization of poly-SiGe layers for CMOS-MEMS integrated application

Science.gov (United States)

Modlinski, Robert; Witvrouw, Ann; Verbist, Agnes; Puers, Robert; De Wolf, Ingrid

2010-01-01

Measuring mechanical properties at the microscale is essential to understand and to fabricate reliable MEMS. In this paper a tensile testing system and matching microscale test samples are presented. The test samples have a dog-bone-like structure. They are designed to mimic standard macro-tensile test samples. The micro-tensile tests are used to characterize 0.9 µm thick polycrystalline silicon germanium (poly-SiGe) films. The poly-SiGe film, that can be considered as a close equivalent to polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), is studied as a very promising material for use in CMOS/MEMS integration in a single chip due to its low-temperature LPCVD deposition (T < 450 °C). The fabrication process of the poly-SiGe micro-tensile test structure is explained in detail: the design, the processing and post-processing, the testing and finally the results' discussion. The poly-SiGe micro-tensile results are also compared with nanoindentation data obtained on the same poly-SiGe films as well as with results obtained by other research groups.

Ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of epitaxial PZT films and devices on silicon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, Duc Minh

2010-01-01

In this thesis, the integration of lead zirconate titanate Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films into piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based on silicon is studied. In these structures, all epitaxial oxide layers (thin film/electrode/buffer-layer(s)) were deposited by pulsed laser

Piezoelectric Zinc Oxide Based MEMS Acoustic Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aarti Arora

2008-04-01

Full Text Available An acoustic sensors exhibiting good sensitivity was fabricated using MEMS technology having piezoelectric zinc oxide as a dielectric between two plates of capacitor. Thin film zinc oxide has structural, piezoelectric and optical properties for surface acoustic wave (SAW and bulk acoustic wave (BAW devices. Oxygen effficient films are transparent and insulating having wide applications for sensors and transducers. A rf sputtered piezoelectric ZnO layer transforms the mechanical deflection of a thin etched silicon diaphragm into a piezoelectric charge. For 25-micron thin diaphragm Si was etched in tetramethylammonium hydroxide solution using bulk micromachining. This was followed by deposition of sandwiched structure composed of bottom aluminum electrode, sputtered 3 micron ZnO film and top aluminum electrode. A glass having 1 mm diameter hole was bonded on backside of device to compensate sound pressure in side the cavity. The measured value of central capacitance and dissipation factor of the fabricated MEMS acoustic sensor was found to be 82.4pF and 0.115 respectively, where as the value of ~176 pF was obtained for the rim capacitance with a dissipation factor of 0.138. The response of the acoustic sensors was reproducible for the devices prepared under similar processing conditions under different batches. The acoustic sensor was found to be working from 30Hz to 8KHz with a sensitivity of 139µV/Pa under varying acoustic pressure.

CARES/Life Used for Probabilistic Characterization of MEMS Pressure Sensor Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Nemeth, Noel N.

2002-01-01

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices are typically made from brittle materials such as silicon using traditional semiconductor manufacturing techniques. They can be etched (or micromachined) from larger structures or can be built up with material deposition processes. Maintaining dimensional control and consistent mechanical properties is considerably more difficult for MEMS because feature size is on the micrometer scale. Therefore, the application of probabilistic design methodology becomes necessary for MEMS. This was demonstrated at the NASA Glenn Research Center and Case Western Reserve University in an investigation that used the NASA-developed CARES/Life brittle material design program to study the probabilistic fracture strength behavior of single-crystal SiC, polycrystalline SiC, and amorphous Si3N4 pressurized 1-mm-square thin-film diaphragms. These materials are of interest because of their superior high-temperature characteristics, which are desirable for harsh environment applications such as turbine engine and rocket propulsion system hot sections.

Electromechanical study of polyurethane films with carbon black nanoparticles for MEMS actuators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roussel, M; Deman, A-L; Chateaux, J-F; Malhaire, C; Petit, L; Seveyrat, L; Galineau, J; Guiffard, B; Seguineau, C; Desmarres, J-M; Martegoutte, J

2014-01-01

Pure polyurethane and nanocomposite carbon black (CB) polyurethane solutions were deposited by spin-coating on a silicon substrate using gold as the adhesion layer and electrode. Different test structures were achieved for electrical and mechanical characterizations. The incorporation of CB nanoparticles in the polyurethane matrix has a significant influence on the dielectric permittivity of the material with an increase of about one third of its value. The Young's modulus of PU and nanocomposite PU films was determined by different characterization methods. Nanoindentation experiments have pointed out a Young's modulus gradient through the film thickness. By performing mechanical tests (tensile, bulge, point deflection) on freestanding films, an average Young's modulus value of about 30 MPa was found as well as a residual stress value of about 0.4 MPa. However, no influence of the presence of the nanoparticles was found. Finally, several MEMS actuators were realized and characterized. At their fundamental resonance frequency, the actuation of the nanocomposite membranes is more efficient than that of pure polyurethane. However, the time constant of the material seems to provide a major barrier for the development of high-frequency PU-based micro-actuators. (paper)

Homogeneity analysis of high yield manufacturing process of mems-based pzt thick film vibrational energy harvesters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lei, Anders; Xu, Ruichao; Pedersen, C.M.

2011-01-01

This work presents a high yield wafer scale fabrication of MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibrational energy harvesters aimed towards vibration sources with peak frequencies in the range of a few hundred Hz. By combining KOH etching with mechanical front side protection, SOI wafer...... to accurately define the thickness of the silicon part of the harvester and a silicon compatible PZT thick film screen-printing technique, we are able to fabricate energy harvesters on wafer scale with a yield higher than 90%. The characterization of the fabricated harvesters is focused towards the full wafer....../mass-production aspect; hence the analysis of uniformity in harvested power and resonant frequency....

Buckling of Thin Films in Nano-Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li L.A.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Investigation of thin film buckling is important for life prediction of MEMS device which are damaged mainly by the delamination and buckling of thin films. In this paper the mechanical and thermal properties of compressed thin film titanium films with 150 nm thickness deposited on an organic glass substrate under mechanical and thermal loads were measured and characterized. In order to simulate the thin films which subjected to compound loads and the buckle modes the external uniaxial compression and thermal loading were subjected to the specimen by the symmetric loading device and the electrical film in this experiment. The temperature of the thin film deposited on substrate was measured using thermoelectric couple. The range of temperature accords with the temperature range of the MEMS. It is found that the size and number of the delamination and buckling of the film are depended upon the pre-fixed mechanical loading and thermal temperature. The thermal transient conduction and thermal stability of the film and substrate was studied with finite element method.

NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu shape memory thin film heterostructures for vibration damping in MEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaur, Navjot; Kaur, Davinder, E-mail: dkaurfph@iitr.ernet.in

2014-03-25

Highlights: • Fabrication of NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu heterostructure using dc/rf magnetron sputtering. • Exhibits highest hardness (38 GPa) and elastic modulus (187 GPa). • Enhanced dissipation of mechanical energy (E{sub d} = 5.7 N J). • High damping capacity (0.052) and figure of merit (∼0.62). • Can be applied for vibration damping in MEMS. -- Abstract: Shape memory alloy (NiTiCu) thin films coupled with piezoelectric AlN layer produce an intelligent material for vibration damping. In the present study pure NiTiCu, NiTiCu/AlN and NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu heterostructures have been deposited on Si substrate using magnetron sputtering technique. By the use of the interfaces and shape memory effect provided by NiTiCu layers, the damping capacity can be increased along with increase in stiffness and mechanical hardness. The heterostructures were characterized in terms of structural, electrical, morphological and mechanical properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD), four probe resistivity method, atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and nanoindentation. The NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu heterostructure exhibit enhanced mechanical and damping properties as compared to NiTiCu/AlN and pure NiTiCu. This enhancement in hardness and damping of the heterostructure could be attributed to the shape memory effect of NiTiCu, intrinsic piezoelectricity of AlN and increased number of interfaces in heterostructure that help in dissipation of mechanical vibrations. The findings of this work provide additional impetus for the application of these heterostructures in emerging fields of nanotechnology and microelectro mechanical (MEMS) devices.

NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu shape memory thin film heterostructures for vibration damping in MEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaur, Navjot; Kaur, Davinder

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Fabrication of NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu heterostructure using dc/rf magnetron sputtering. • Exhibits highest hardness (38 GPa) and elastic modulus (187 GPa). • Enhanced dissipation of mechanical energy (E d = 5.7 N J). • High damping capacity (0.052) and figure of merit (∼0.62). • Can be applied for vibration damping in MEMS. -- Abstract: Shape memory alloy (NiTiCu) thin films coupled with piezoelectric AlN layer produce an intelligent material for vibration damping. In the present study pure NiTiCu, NiTiCu/AlN and NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu heterostructures have been deposited on Si substrate using magnetron sputtering technique. By the use of the interfaces and shape memory effect provided by NiTiCu layers, the damping capacity can be increased along with increase in stiffness and mechanical hardness. The heterostructures were characterized in terms of structural, electrical, morphological and mechanical properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD), four probe resistivity method, atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and nanoindentation. The NiTiCu/AlN/NiTiCu heterostructure exhibit enhanced mechanical and damping properties as compared to NiTiCu/AlN and pure NiTiCu. This enhancement in hardness and damping of the heterostructure could be attributed to the shape memory effect of NiTiCu, intrinsic piezoelectricity of AlN and increased number of interfaces in heterostructure that help in dissipation of mechanical vibrations. The findings of this work provide additional impetus for the application of these heterostructures in emerging fields of nanotechnology and microelectro mechanical (MEMS) devices

Growth and Etch Rate Study of Low Temperature Anodic Silicon Dioxide Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akarapu Ashok

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Silicon dioxide (SiO2 thin films are most commonly used insulating films in the fabrication of silicon-based integrated circuits (ICs and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS. Several techniques with different processing environments have been investigated to deposit silicon dioxide films at temperatures down to room temperature. Anodic oxidation of silicon is one of the low temperature processes to grow oxide films even below room temperature. In the present work, uniform silicon dioxide thin films are grown at room temperature by using anodic oxidation technique. Oxide films are synthesized in potentiostatic and potentiodynamic regimes at large applied voltages in order to investigate the effect of voltage, mechanical stirring of electrolyte, current density and the water percentage on growth rate, and the different properties of as-grown oxide films. Ellipsometry, FTIR, and SEM are employed to investigate various properties of the oxide films. A 5.25 Å/V growth rate is achieved in potentiostatic mode. In the case of potentiodynamic mode, 160 nm thickness is attained at 300 V. The oxide films developed in both modes are slightly silicon rich, uniform, and less porous. The present study is intended to inspect various properties which are considered for applications in MEMS and Microelectronics.

Wafer-scale growth of highly textured piezoelectric thin films by pulsed laser deposition for micro-scale sensors and actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, M. D.; Tiggelaar, R.; Aukes, T.; Rijnders, G.; Roelof, G.

2017-11-01

Piezoelectric lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin films were deposited on 4-inch (111)Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(001) wafers using large-area pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This study was focused on the homogeneity in film thickness, microstructure, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT thin films. The results indicated that the highly textured (001)-oriented PZT thin films with wafer-scale thickness homogeneity (990 nm ± 0.8%) were obtained. The films were fabricated into piezoelectric cantilevers through a MEMS microfabrication process. The measured longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient (d 33f = 210 pm/V ± 1.6%) and piezoelectric transverse coefficient (e 31f = -18.8 C/m2 ± 2.8%) were high and homogeneity across wafers. The high piezoelectric properties on Si wafers will extend industrial application of PZT thin films and further development of piezoMEMS.

Micro-Raman Analysis of Irradiated Diamond Films

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Robert L.

2003-01-01

Owing to its unique and robust physical properties, diamond is a much sought after material for use in advanced technologies, even in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). The volume and weight savings promised by MEMS-based devices are of particular interest to spaceflight applications. However, much basic materials science research remains to be completed in this field. Results of micro-Raman analysis of proton (10(exp 15) - 10(exp 17) H(+)/sq cm doses) irradiated chemical vapor deposited (CVD) films are presented and indicate that their microstructure is retained even after high radiation exposure.

Challenges in the Packaging of MEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malshe, A.P.; Singh, S.B.; Eaton, W.P.; O' Neal, C.; Brown, W.D.; Miller, W.M.

1999-03-26

gross lack of understanding between the package materials, induced stress, and the device performance. The material properties of these packaging materials are not well defined or understood. Modeling of these materials and processes is far from maturity. Current post-package yields are too low for commercial feasibility, and consumer operating environment reliability and compatibility are often difficult to simulate. With further understanding of the materials properties and behavior of the packaging materials, MEMS applications can be fully realized and integrated into countless commercial and military applications.

Ultra-thin film encapsulation processes for micro-electro-mechanical devices and systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoldt, Conrad R; Bright, Victor M

2006-01-01

A range of physical properties can be achieved in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) through their encapsulation with solid-state, ultra-thin coatings. This paper reviews the application of single source chemical vapour deposition and atomic layer deposition (ALD) in the growth of submicron films on polycrystalline silicon microstructures for the improvement of microscale reliability and performance. In particular, microstructure encapsulation with silicon carbide, tungsten, alumina and alumina-zinc oxide alloy ultra-thin films is highlighted, and the mechanical, electrical, tribological and chemical impact of these overlayers is detailed. The potential use of solid-state, ultra-thin coatings in commercial microsystems is explored using radio frequency MEMS as a case study for the ALD alloy alumina-zinc oxide thin film. (topical review)

Mechanical properties of MEMS materials: reliability investigations by mechanical- and HRXRD-characterization related to environmental testing

Science.gov (United States)

Bandi, T.; Shea, H.; Neels, A.

2014-06-01

The performance and aging of MEMS often rely on the stability of the mechanical properties over time and under harsh conditions. An overview is given on methods to investigate small variations of the mechanical properties of structural MEMS materials by functional characterization, high-resolution x-ray diffraction methods (HR-XRD) and environmental testing. The measurement of the dynamical properties of micro-resonators is a powerful method for the investigation of elasticity variations in structures relevant to microtechnology. X-ray diffraction techniques are used to analyze residual strains and deformations with high accuracy and in a non-destructive manner at surfaces and in buried micro-structures. The influence of elevated temperatures and radiation damage on the performance of resonant microstructures with a focus on quartz and single crystal silicon is discussed and illustrated with examples including work done in our laboratories at CSEM and EPFL.

MEMS-based Circuits and Systems for Wireless Communication

CERN Document Server

Kaiser, Andreas

2013-01-01

MEMS-based Circuits and Systems for Wireless Communication provides comprehensive coverage of RF-MEMS technology from device to system level. This edited volume places emphasis on how system performance for radio frequency applications can be leveraged by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Coverage also extends to innovative MEMS-aware radio architectures that push the potential of MEMS technology further ahead.  This work presents a broad overview of the technology from MEMS devices (mainly BAW and Si MEMS resonators) to basic circuits, such as oscillators and filters, and finally complete systems such as ultra-low-power MEMS-based radios. Contributions from leading experts around the world are organized in three parts. Part I introduces RF-MEMS technology, devices and modeling and includes a prospective outlook on ongoing developments towards Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS) and phononic crystals. Device properties and models are presented in a circuit oriented perspective. Part II focusses on ...

Thermal Desalination using MEMS and Salinity-Gradient Solar Pond Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, H.; Walton, J. C.; Hein, H.

2002-08-01

MEMS (multi-effect, multi-stage) flash desalination (distillation) driven by thermal energy derived from a salinity-gradient solar pond is investigated in this study for the purpose of improving the thermodynamic efficiency and economics of this technology. Three major tasks are performed: (1) a MEMS unit is tested under various operating conditions at the El Paso Solar Pond site; (2) the operation and maintenance procedures of the salinity-gradient solar pond coupled with the MEMS operation is studied; and (3) previous test data on a 24-stage, falling-film flash distillation unit (known as the Spinflash) is analyzed and compared with the performance of the MEMS unit. The data and information obtained from this investigation is applicable to a variety of thermal desalination processes using other solar options and/or waste heat.

A wafer mapping technique for residual stress in surface micromachined films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schiavone, G; Murray, J; Smith, S; Walton, A J; Desmulliez, M P Y; Mount, A R

2016-01-01

The design of MEMS devices employing movable structures is crucially dependant on the mechanical behaviour of the deposited materials. It is therefore important to be able to fully characterize the micromachined films and predict with confidence the mechanical properties of patterned structures. This paper presents a characterization technique that enables the residual stress in MEMS films to be mapped at the wafer level by using microstructures released by surface micromachining. These dedicated MEMS test structures and the associated measurement techniques are used to extract localized information on the strain and Young’s modulus of the film under investigation. The residual stress is then determined by numerically coupling this data with a finite element analysis of the structure. This paper illustrates the measurement routine and demonstrates it with a case study using electrochemically deposited alloys of nickel and iron, particularly prone to develop high levels of residual stress. The results show that the technique enables wafer mapping of film non-uniformities and identifies wafer-to-wafer differences. A comparison between the results obtained from the mapping technique and conventional wafer bow measurements highlights the benefits of using a procedure tailored to films that are non-uniform, patterned and surface-micromachined, as opposed to simple standard stress extraction methods. The presented technique reveals detailed information that is generally unexplored when using conventional stress extraction methods such as wafer bow measurements. (paper)

Modeling and non-linear responses of MEMS capacitive accelerometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sri Harsha C.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A theoretical investigation of an electrically actuated beam has been illustrated when the electrostatic-ally actuated micro-cantilever beam is separated from the electrode by a moderately large gap for two distinct types of geometric configurations of MEMS accelerometer. Higher order nonlinear terms have been taken into account for studying the pull in voltage analysis. A nonlinear model of gas film squeezing damping, another source of nonlinearity in MEMS devices is included in obtaining the dynamic responses. Moreover, in the present work, the possible source of nonlinearities while formulating the mathematical model of a MEMS accelerometer and their influences on the dynamic responses have been investigated. The theoretical results obtained by using MATLAB has been verified with the results obtained in FE software and has been found in good agreement. Criterion towards stable micro size accelerometer for each configuration has been investigated. This investigation clearly provides an understanding of nonlinear static and dynamics characteristics of electrostatically micro cantilever based device in MEMS.

Surface chemical modification for exceptional wear life of MEMS materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Arvind Singh

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS are built at micro/nano-scales. At these scales, the interfacial forces are extremely strong. These forces adversely affect the smooth operation and cause wear resulting in the drastic reduction in wear life (useful operating lifetime of actuator-based devices. In this paper, we present a surface chemical modification method that reduces friction and significantly extends the wear life of the two most popular MEMS structural materials namely, silicon and SU-8 polymer. The method includes surface chemical treatment using ethanolamine-sodium phosphate buffer, followed by coating of perfluoropolyether (PFPE nanolubricant on (i silicon coated with SU-8 thin films (500 nm and (ii MEMS process treated SU-8 thick films (50 μm. After the surface chemical modification, it was observed that the steady-state coefficient of friction of the materials reduced by 4 to 5 times and simultaneously their wear durability increased by more than three orders of magnitude (> 1000 times. The significant reduction in the friction coefficients is due to the lubrication effect of PFPE nanolubricant, while the exceptional increase in their wear life is attributed to the bonding between the -OH functional group of ethanolamine treated SU-8 thin/thick films and the -OH functional group of PFPE. The surface chemical modification method acts as a common route to enhance the performance of both silicon and SU-8 polymer. It is time-effective (process time ≤ 11 min, cost-effective and can be readily integrated into MEMS fabrication/assembly processes. It can also work for any kind of structural material from which the miniaturized devices are/can be made.

Recent Progress in Silicon Mems Oscillators

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

MEMS oscillator. As shown, a MEMS resonator is connected to an IC. The reference oscillator, which is basically a transimpedance amplifier ...small size), and (3) DC bias voltage required to operate the resonators. As a result, instead of Colpitts or Pierce architecture, a transimpedence ... amplifier is typically used for sustain the oscillation. The frequency of the resonators is determined by both material properties and geometry of

A novel piezoresistive polymer nanocomposite MEMS accelerometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seena, V; Hari, K; Prajakta, S; Ramgopal Rao, V; Pratap, Rudra

2017-01-01

A novel polymer MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) accelerometer with photo-patternable polymer nanocomposite as a piezoresistor is presented in this work. Polymer MEMS Accelerometer with beam thicknesses of 3.3 µ m and embedded nanocomposite piezoresistive layer having a gauge factor of 90 were fabricated. The photosensitive nanocomposite samples were prepared and characterized for analyzing the mechanical and electrical properties and thereby ensuring proper process parameters for incorporating the piezoresistive layer into the polymer MEMS accelerometer. The microfabrication process flow and unit processes followed are extremely low cost with process temperatures below 100 °C. This also opens up a new possibility for easy integration of such polymer MEMS with CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) devices and circuits. The fabricated devices were characterized using laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) and the devices exhibited a resonant frequency of 10.8 kHz and a response sensitivity of 280 nm g −1 at resonance. The main focus of this paper is on the SU-8/CB nanocomposite piezoresistive MEMS accelerometer technology development which covers the material and the fabrication aspects of these devices. CoventorWare FEA analysis performed using the extracted material properties from the experimental characterization which are in close agreement to performance parameters of the fabricated devices is also discussed. The simulated piezoresistive polymer MEMS devices showed an acceleration sensitivity of 126 nm g −1 and 82 ppm of Δ R / R per 1 g of acceleration. (paper)

Optimizing Pt/TiO2 templates for textured PZT growth and MEMS devices

Science.gov (United States)

Potrepka, Daniel; Fox, Glenn; Sanchez, Luz; Polcawich, Ronald

2013-03-01

Crystallographic texture of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films strongly influences piezoelectric properties used in MEMS applications. Textured growth can be achieved by relying on crystal growth habit and can also be initiated by the use of a seed-layer heteroepitaxial template. Template choice and the process used to form it determine structural quality, ultimately influencing performance and reliability of MEMS PZT devices such as switches, filters, and actuators. This study focuses on how 111-textured PZT is generated by a combination of crystal habit and templating mechanisms that occur in the PZT/bottom-electrode stack. The sequence begins with 0001-textured Ti deposited on thermally grown SiO2 on a Si wafer. The Ti is converted to 100-textured TiO2 (rutile) through thermal oxidation. Then 111-textured Pt can be grown to act as a template for 111-textured PZT. Ti and Pt are deposited by DC magnetron sputtering. TiO2 and Pt film textures and structure were optimized by variation of sputtering deposition times, temperatures and power levels, and post-deposition anneal conditions. The relationship between Ti, TiO2, and Pt texture and their impact on PZT growth will be presented. Also affiliated with U.S. Army Research Lab, Adelphi, MD 20783, USA

Creep characterization of Al alloy thin films for use in RF-MEMS switches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Modlinski, R.; Witvrouw, A.; Ratchev, P.; Puers, R.; Toonder, den J.M.J.; Wolf, I.C.D.Y.M.

2004-01-01

Creep is expected to be a major reliability problem in some MEMS, as for example RF-MEMS switches, especially at high RF powers. For this reason it should be avoided to use creep sensitive materials in these devices. In this paper we report on creep studies on Al-alloys, materials that are often

Modeling of MEMS Mirrors Actuated by Phase-Change Mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Torres

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Given the multiple applications for micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS mirror devices, most of the research efforts are focused on improving device performance in terms of tilting angles, speed, and their integration into larger arrays or systems. The modeling of these devices is crucial for enabling a platform, in particular, by allowing for the future control of such devices. In this paper, we present the modeling of a MEMS mirror structure with four actuators driven by the phase-change of a thin film. The complexity of the device structure and the nonlinear behavior of the actuation mechanism allow for a comprehensive study that encompasses simpler electrothermal designs, thus presenting a general approach that can be adapted to most MEMS mirror designs based on this operation principle. The MEMS mirrors presented in this work are actuated by Joule heating and tested using optical techniques. Mechanical and thermal models including both pitch and roll displacements are developed by combining theoretical analysis (using both numerical and analytical tools with experimental data and subsequently verifying with quasi-static and dynamic experiments.

Research and Analysis of MEMS Switches in Different Frequency Bands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenchao Tian

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Due to their high isolation, low insertion loss, high linearity, and low power consumption, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS switches have drawn much attention from researchers in recent years. In this paper, we introduce the research status of MEMS switches in different bands and several reliability issues, such as dielectric charging, contact failure, and temperature instability. In this paper, some of the following methods to improve the performance of MEMS switches in high frequency are summarized: (1 utilizing combinations of several switches in series; (2 covering a float metal layer on the dielectric layer; (3 using dielectric layer materials with high dielectric constants and conductor materials with low resistance; (4 developing MEMS switches using T-match and π-match; (5 designing MEMS switches based on bipolar complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (BiCMOS technology and reconfigurable MEMS’ surfaces; (6 employing thermal compensation structures, circularly symmetric structures, thermal buckle-beam actuators, molybdenum membrane, and thin-film packaging; (7 selecting Ultra-NanoCrystalline diamond or aluminum nitride dielectric materials and applying a bipolar driving voltage, stoppers, and a double-dielectric-layer structure; and (8 adopting gold alloying with carbon nanotubes (CNTs, hermetic and reliable packaging, and mN-level contact.

Use of thermal cycling to reduce adhesion of OTS coated coated MEMS cantilevers

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Shaikh M.; Phinney, Leslie M.

2003-01-01

°Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have enormous potential to contribute in diverse fields such as automotive, health care, aerospace, consumer products, and biotechnology, but successful commercial applications of MEMS are still small in number. Reliability of MEMS is a major impediment to the commercialization of laboratory prototypes. Due to the multitude of MEMS applications and the numerous processing and packaging steps, MEMS are exposed to a variety of environmental conditions, making the prediction of operational reliability difficult. In this paper, we investigate the effects of operating temperature on the in-use adhesive failure of electrostatically actuated MEMS microcantilevers coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) films. The cantilevers are subjected to repeated temperature cycles and electrostatically actuated at temperatures between 25°C and 300°C in ambient air. The experimental results indicate that temperature cycling of the OTS coated cantilevers in air reduces the sticking probability of the microcantilevers. The sticking probability of OTS coated cantilevers was highest during heating, which decreased during cooling, and was lowest during reheating. Modifications to the OTS release method to increase its yield are also discussed.

MEMS packaging

CERN Document Server

Hsu , Tai-Ran

2004-01-01

MEMS Packaging discusses the prevalent practices and enabling techniques in assembly, packaging and testing of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The entire spectrum of assembly, packaging and testing of MEMS and microsystems, from essential enabling technologies to applications in key industries of life sciences, telecommunications and aerospace engineering is covered. Other topics included are bonding and sealing of microcomponents, process flow of MEMS and microsystems packaging, automated microassembly, and testing and design for testing.The Institution of Engineering and Technology is

Properties of Chitosan-Laminated Collagen Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vera Lazić

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to determine physical, mechanical and barrier properties of chitosan-laminated collagen film. Commercial collagen film, which is used for making collagen casings for dry fermented sausage production, was laminated with chitosan film layer in order to improve the collagen film barrier properties. Different volumes of oregano essential oil per 100 mL of filmogenic solution were added to chitosan film layer: 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mL to optimize water vapour barrier properties. Chitosan layer with 0.6 or 0.8 % of oregano essential oil lowered the water vapour transmission rate to (1.85±0.10·10–6 and (1.78±0.03·10–6 g/(m2·s·Pa respectively, compared to collagen film ((2.51±0.05·10–6 g/(m2·s·Pa. However, chitosan-laminated collagen film did not show improved mechanical properties compared to the collagen one. Tensile strength decreased from (54.0±3.8 MPa of the uncoated collagen film to (36.3±4.0 MPa when the film was laminated with 0.8 % oregano essential oil chitosan layer. Elongation at break values of laminated films did not differ from those of collagen film ((18.4±2.7 %. Oxygen barrier properties were considerably improved by lamination. Oxygen permeability of collagen film was (1806.8±628.0·10–14 cm3/(m·s·Pa and values of laminated films were below 35·10–14 cm3/(m·s·Pa. Regarding film appearance and colour, lamination with chitosan reduced lightness (L and yellowness (+b of collagen film, while film redness (+a increased. These changes were not visible to the naked eye.

Advancing MEMS Technology Usage through the MUMPS (Multi-User MEMS Processes) Program

Science.gov (United States)

Koester, D. A.; Markus, K. W.; Dhuler, V.; Mahadevan, R.; Cowen, A.

1995-01-01

In order to help provide access to advanced micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies and lower the barriers for both industry and academia, the Microelectronic Center of North Carolina (MCNC) and ARPA have developed a program which provides users with access to both MEMS processes and advanced electronic integration techniques. The four distinct aspects of this program, the multi-user MEMS processes (MUMP's), the consolidated micro-mechanical element library, smart MEMS, and the MEMS technology network are described in this paper. MUMP's is an ARPA-supported program created to provide inexpensive access to MEMS technology in a multi-user environment. It is both a proof-of-concept and educational tool that aids in the development of MEMS in the domestic community. MUMP's technologies currently include a 3-layer poly-silicon surface micromachining process and LIGA (lithography, electroforming, and injection molding) processes that provide reasonable design flexibility within set guidelines. The consolidated micromechanical element library (CaMEL) is a library of active and passive MEMS structures that can be downloaded by the MEMS community via the internet. Smart MEMS is the development of advanced electronics integration techniques for MEMS through the application of flip chip technology. The MEMS technology network (TechNet) is a menu of standard substrates and MEMS fabrication processes that can be purchased and combined to create unique process flows. TechNet provides the MEMS community greater flexibility and enhanced technology accessibility.

Poly-SiGe for MEMS-above-CMOS sensors

CERN Document Server

Gonzalez Ruiz, Pilar; Witvrouw, Ann

2014-01-01

Polycrystalline SiGe has emerged as a promising MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) structural material since it provides the desired mechanical properties at lower temperatures compared to poly-Si, allowing the direct post-processing on top of CMOS. This CMOS-MEMS monolithic integration can lead to more compact MEMS with improved performance. The potential of poly-SiGe for MEMS above-aluminum-backend CMOS integration has already been demonstrated. However, aggressive interconnect scaling has led to the replacement of the traditional aluminum metallization by copper (Cu) metallization, due to its lower resistivity and improved reliability. Poly-SiGe for MEMS-above-CMOS sensors demonstrates the compatibility of poly-SiGe with post-processing above the advanced CMOS technology nodes through the successful fabrication of an integrated poly-SiGe piezoresistive pressure sensor, directly fabricated above 0.13 m Cu-backend CMOS. Furthermore, this book presents the first detailed investigation on the influence o...

Single-crystal-silicon-based microinstrument to study friction and wear at MEMS sidewall interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ansari, N; Ashurst, W R

2012-01-01

Since the advent of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, friction and wear are considered as key factors that determine the lifetime and reliability of MEMS devices that contain contacting interfaces. However, to date, our knowledge of the mechanisms that govern friction and wear in MEMS is insufficient. Therefore, systematically investigating friction and wear at MEMS scale is critical for the commercial success of many potential MEMS devices. Specifically, since many emerging MEMS devices contain more sidewall interfaces, which are topographically and chemically different from in-plane interfaces, studying the friction and wear characteristics of MEMS sidewall surfaces is important. The microinstruments that have been used to date to investigate the friction and wear characteristics of MEMS sidewall surfaces possess several limitations induced either by their design or the structural film used to fabricate them. Therefore, in this paper, we report on a single-crystal-silicon-based microinstrument to study the frictional and wear behavior of MEMS sidewalls, which not only addresses some of the limitations of other microinstruments but is also easy to fabricate. The design, modeling and fabrication of the microinstrument are described in this paper. Additionally, the coefficients of static and dynamic friction of octadecyltrichlorosilane-coated sidewall surfaces as well as sidewall surfaces with only native oxide on them are also reported in this paper. (paper)

Interaction domains in high performance NdFeB thick films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodcock, Tom; Khlopkov, Kirill; Schultz, Ludwig; Gutfleisch, Oliver [IFW Dresden, IMW, Dresden (Germany); Walther, Arno [Insitut Neel, CNRS-UJF, Grenoble (France); CEA Leti - MINATEC, Grenoble (France); Dempsey, Nora; Givord, Dominique [Insitut Neel, CNRS-UJF, Grenoble (France)

2009-07-01

Thick sputtered films (5-300 micron) of NdFeB have excellent hard magnetic properties which make them attractive for applications in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). A two step process consisting of triode sputtering and high temperature annealing produced films with energy densities approaching those of sintered NdFeB magnets. Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) using hard magnetic tips showed that the films deposited without substrate heating and at 300 C exhibited magnetic domains typical of low anisotropy materials. These films were amorphous in the as-deposited state. The film deposited at 500 C was crystalline and displaid hard magnetic properties. This was reflected in the magnetic microstructure which showed interaction domains typical of highly textured and high magnetic anisotropy materials with a grain size below or equal to the critical single-domain particle limit. With increasing substrate temperature, the domain patterns of the annealed films became coarser, indicating higher degrees of texture.

Aula de história: subjetividade e memória na aprendizagem de alunos

OpenAIRE

Scoz, Beatriz Judith Lima; Rodrigues, Vilma Nardes Silva

2015-01-01

Este artigo apresenta o relato de uma pesquisa sobre as relações entre memória individual e memória coletiva nas aulas de História para compreender suas interferências na produção de sentidos subjetivos dos alunos na aprendizagem de História. A coleta de dados foi feita a partir do filme "Narradores de Javé" e da "conversação livre" com alunos da 8a série de uma escola pública de São Paulo. A pesquisa fundamenta-se nas concepções teóricas de Halbwachs e Placco, & Souza acerca da memória. No q...

Biomaterials for MEMS

CERN Document Server

Chiao, Mu

2011-01-01

This book serves as a guide for practicing engineers, researchers, and students interested in MEMS devices that use biomaterials and biomedical applications. It is also suitable for engineers and researchers interested in MEMS and its applications but who do not have the necessary background in biomaterials.Biomaterials for MEMS highlights important features and issues of biomaterials that have been used in MEMS and biomedical areas. Hence this book is an essential guide for MEMS engineers or researchers who are trained in engineering institutes that do not provide the background or knowledge

Redox buffered hydrofluoric acid etchant for the reduction of galvanic attack during release etching of MEMS devices having noble material films

Science.gov (United States)

Hankins, Matthew G [Albuquerque, NM

2009-10-06

Etchant solutions comprising a redox buffer can be used during the release etch step to reduce damage to the structural layers of a MEMS device that has noble material films. A preferred redox buffer comprises a soluble thiophosphoric acid, ester, or salt that maintains the electrochemical potential of the etchant solution at a level that prevents oxidation of the structural material. Therefore, the redox buffer preferentially oxidizes in place of the structural material. The sacrificial redox buffer thereby protects the exposed structural layers while permitting the dissolution of sacrificial oxide layers during the release etch.

Piezoelectric MEMS sensors: state-of-the-art and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tadigadapa, S; Mateti, K

2009-01-01

Over the past two decades, several advances have been made in micromachined sensors and actuators. As the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has advanced, a clear need for the integration of materials other than silicon and its compounds into micromachined transducers has emerged. Piezoelectric materials are high energy density materials that scale very favorably upon miniaturization and that has led to an ever-growing interest in piezoelectric films for MEMS applications. At this time, piezoelectric aluminum-nitride-based film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR) have already been successfully commercialized. Future innovations and improvements in inertial sensors for navigation, high-frequency crystal oscillators and filters for wireless applications, microactuators for RF applications, chip-scale chemical analysis systems and countless other applications hinge upon the successful miniaturization of components and integration of piezoelectrics and metals into these systems. In this article, a comprehensive review of micromachined piezoelectric transducer technology will be presented. Piezoelectric materials in bulk and thin film forms will be reviewed and fabrication techniques for the integration of these materials for microsensor applications will be presented. Recent advances in various piezoelectric microsensors will be presented through specific examples. This review will conclude with a critical assessment of the future trends and promise of this technology. (topical review)

MEMS sensor material based on polypyrrole carbon nanotube nanocomposite: film deposition and characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Teh, Kwok-Siong; Lin, Liwei

2005-11-01

Conductive polymer-based nanocomposite has been utilized as a MEMS sensing material via a one-step, selective on-chip deposition process at room temperature. A doped polypyrrole (PPy) variant synthesized by incorporating multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) into electropolymerized PPy has been shown to improve the sensing performance utilizing a two-terminal, micro-gap chemiresistor architecture. The dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS)-doped PPy-MWCNT nanocomposites are found to be responsive to oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and this effect can be extended to glucose detection using H2O2 as a proxy material. The oxidant sensing effect is demonstrated by subjecting a glucose oxidase (GOx)-laden PPy-MWCNT nanocomposite film to various concentrations of glucose solution. Such PPy-MWCNT nanocomposite, when applied in a chemiresistor configuration, obviates the need for reference electrode and electron mediators, by measuring the direct and reversible, oxidation-reduction induced conductivity change. Experimentally, GOx-laden, doped PPy-MWCNT is tested to be sensitive to glucose concentration up to 20 mM, which covers the physiologically important range for diabetics of 0-20 mM.

PVA/Polysaccharides Blended Films: Mechanical Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio E. F. Silva

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Blends of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA and angico gum (AG and/or cashew gum (CG were used to produce films by casting method. Morphological and mechanical properties of these films were studied and compared to the properties of a commercial collagen membrane of bovine origin (MBO. The films presented thickness varying from 70 to 140 μm (PVA/AG and 140 to 200 μm (PVA/CG. Macroscopic analysis showed that a PVA/CG film was very similar to MBO regarding the color and transparency. The higher values of tensile strength (TS and elastic modulus (EM were observed in the film. On the other hand, PVA/CG and PVA/CG-AG presented the highest value of percentage of elongation (E%. Pearson’s Correlation Analysis revealed a positive correlation between TS and EM and a negative correlation between E% and EM. The PVA/CG film presented mechanical properties very similar to MBO, with the advantage of a higher E% (11.96 than MBO (2.94. The properties of the PVA blended films depended on the polysaccharide added in the blend, as well as the acid used as a catalyst. However, all produced films presented interesting mechanical characteristics which enables several biotechnological applications.

O monumental e o íntimo: dimensões da memória da resistência no documentário brasileiro recente

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Seliprandy Fernandes

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Propõe-se um exercício acerca da memória da resistência à ditadura no documentarismo brasileiro contemporâneo. Monumentalização e intimidade são as noções guias das análises de Hércules 56 (Silvio Da-Rin, 2006 e Diário de uma busca (Flavia Castro, 2010. No caso do primeiro filme, sugere-se que os cânones do documentário de entrevista, primando pela coesão, estabelecem uma memória monumental e conciliadora. Quanto ao segundo filme, sustenta-se que a perspectiva íntima, plena de hesitações, pode sinalizar a permanência de lacunas na conciliação democrática brasileira. O contraste entre memória celebrativa e memória introspectiva ressalta a necessidade de crítica da impunidade presente.

Impact of radiations on the electromechanical properties of materials and on the piezoresistive and capacitive transduction mechanisms used in microsystems

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Laurent A.; Gkotsis, Petros; Kilchytska, Valeriya; Tang, Xiaohui; Druart, Sylvain; Raskin, Jean-Pierre; Flandre, Denis

2013-03-01

The impact of different types of radiation on the electromechanical properties of materials used in microfabrication and on the capacitive and piezoresistive transduction mechanisms of MEMS is investigated. MEMS technologies could revolutionize avionics, satellite and space applications provided that the stress conditions which can compromise the reliability of microsystems in these environments are well understood. Initial tests with MEMS revealed a vulnerability of some types of devices to radiation induced dielectric charging, a physical mechanism which also affects microelectronics, however integration of novel functional materials in microfabrication and the current trend to substitute SiO2 with high-k dielectrics in ICs pose new questions regarding reliability in radiation environments. The performance of MEMS devices with moving parts could also degrade due to radiation induced changes in the mechanical properties of the materials. It is thus necessary to investigate the effects of radiation on the properties of thin films used in microfabrication and here we report on tests with γ, high energy protons and fast neutrons radiation. Prototype SOI based MEMS magnetometers which were developed in UCL are also used as test vehicles to investigate radiation effects on the reliability of magnetically actuated and capacitively coupled MEMS.

High-performance piezoelectric thick film based energy harvesting micro-generators for MEMS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zawada, Tomasz; Hansen, Karsten; Lou-Moeller, Rasmus

2010-01-01

and are transformed by the energy harvesting micro-generator into usable electrical signal. The micro-generator comprises a silicon cantilever with integrated InSensor® TF2100 PZT thick film deposited using screen-printing. The output power versus frequency and electrical load has been investigated. Furthermore......, devices based on modified, pressure treated thick film materials have been tested and compared with the commercial InSensor® TF2100 PZT thick films. It has been found that the structures based on the pressure treated materials exhibit superior properties in terms of energy output....

An investigation into which factors control the nanotribological behaviour of thin sputtered carbon films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Baogui; Sullivan, John L; Beake, Ben D

2008-01-01

Ultra-thin (20-100 nm) films deposited on Si surfaces can improve their mechanical and tribological properties. As a stepping stone towards the optimization of such ultra-thin films, herein we report experimental nanoscratch and nanowear data on a-C films of thickness in the range 200-1000 nm on Si aiming to (1) understand the role of film thickness on the nanoscratch behaviour, (2) determine whether the same factors (substrate bias, H/E ratio, etc) are at play for thick films as for the thin films, (3) determine possible design rules for thinner films enabling their optimization for MEMS applications and (4) evaluate the use of the multi-pass (3-scan) procedure for clarifying the locus of failure. To a first approximation, the critical load for total film failure in the nanoscratch test is proportional to thickness provided the films are not too stressed. a-C films of 1 μm with very high H/E, deposited under high substrate bias, perform well at low load but very poorly in more highly loaded situations. Not only do they exhibit low critical loads but also failure involves extensive delamination outside of the scratch track. This is not observed on thinner films. A suitable strategy for optimizing wear resistance for thin films for MEMS applications is to aim to maximize H/E. For the 200 nm films studied here, the films with the highest H/E showed slightly improved scratch resistance

Effect of boron doping on the wear behavior of the growth and nucleation surfaces of micro- and nanocrystalline diamond films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buijnsters, J.G.; Tsigkourakos, M.C.; Hantschel, T.; Gomes, F.O.V.; Nuytten, T.; Favia, P.; Bender, H; Arstila, K.; Celis, JP; Vandervorst, W

2016-01-01

B-doped diamond has become the ultimate material for applications in the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which require both highly wear resistant and electrically conductive diamond films and microstructures. Despite the extensive research of the tribological properties of undoped

CMOS-MEMS Test-Key for Extracting Wafer-Level Mechanical Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pei-Zen Chang

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper develops the technologies of mechanical characterization of CMOS-MEMS devices, and presents a robust algorithm for extracting mechanical properties, such as Young’s modulus, and mean stress, through the external electrical circuit behavior of the micro test-key. An approximate analytical solution for the pull-in voltage of bridge-type test-key subjected to electrostatic load and initial stress is derived based on Euler’s beam model and the minimum energy method. Then one can use the aforesaid closed form solution of the pull-in voltage to extract the Young’s modulus and mean stress of the test structures. The test cases include the test-key fabricated by a TSMC 0.18 μm standard CMOS process, and the experimental results refer to Osterberg’s work on the pull-in voltage of single crystal silicone microbridges. The extracted material properties calculated by the present algorithm are valid. Besides, this paper also analyzes the robustness of this algorithm regarding the dimension effects of test-keys. This mechanical properties extracting method is expected to be applicable to the wafer-level testing in micro-device manufacture and compatible with the wafer-level testing in IC industry since the test process is non-destructive.

A Widely-Accessible Distributed MEMS Processing Environment. The MEMS Exchange Program

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-29

all of these patterns in advance, we made a new cost model, called the Python Code cost model, which utilizes the power of a high level programming ...document entitled “The Beginners Guide to MEMS Processing” on the MEMSNet and MEMS Exchange The MEMS Exchange Program Final Technical Report October 29...from the Government is absolutely necessary. As said The MEMS Exchange Program Final Technical Report October 29, 2012 Page 57 of 58 before

Nanostructured thin films and coatings functional properties

CERN Document Server

Zhang, Sam

2010-01-01

The second volume in ""The Handbook of Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings"" set, this book focuses on functional properties, including optical, electronic, and electrical properties, as well as related devices and applications. It explores the large-scale fabrication of functional thin films with nanoarchitecture via chemical routes, the fabrication and characterization of SiC nanostructured/nanocomposite films, and low-dimensional nanocomposite fabrication and applications. The book also presents the properties of sol-gel-derived nanostructured thin films as well as silicon nanocrystals e

Application-related properties of giant magnetostrictive thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, S.H.; Kim, H.J.; Na, S.M.; Suh, S.J.

2002-01-01

In an effort to facilitate the utilization of giant magnetostrictive thin films in microdevices, application-related properties of these thin films, which include induced anisotropy, residual stress and corrosion properties, are investigated. A large induced anisotropy with an energy of 6x10 4 J/m 3 is formed in field-sputtered amorphous Sm-Fe-B thin films, resulting in a large magnetostriction anisotropy. Two components of residual stress, intrinsic compressive stress and tensile stress due to the difference of the thermal expansion coefficients between the substrate and thin film, are identified. The variation of residual stress with fabrication parameter and annealing temperature, and its influence on mechanical bending and magnetic properties are examined. Better corrosion properties are observed in Sm-Fe thin films than in Tb-Fe. Corrosion properties of Tb-Fe thin films, however, are much improved with the introduction of nitrogen to the thin films without deteriorating magnetostrictive properties

Design and analysis of MEMS MWCNT / epoxy strain sensor using ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Gaurav Sapra

2017-06-20

Jun 20, 2017 ... In this paper, highly sensitive MEMS-based multi- walled (MWCNT)/epoxy strain sensor has been designed using ... This paper also discusses the process flow for fabricating MWCNT/epoxy thin film ... stone bridge, i.e., connected to the gold metal pad of the sensor. The change in resistance with respect to.

A MEMS platform for in situ, real-time monitoring of electrochemically induced mechanical changes in lithium-ion battery electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pomerantseva, Ekaterina; Jung, Hyun; Gnerlich, Markus; Baron, Sergio; Gerasopoulos, Konstantinos; Ghodssi, Reza

2013-01-01

We report the first successful demonstration of an optical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensing platform for the in situ characterization of electrochemically induced reversible mechanical changes in lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes. The platform consists of an array of flexible membranes with a reflective surface on one side and a thin-film LIB electrode on the other side. The membranes deflect due to the active battery material volume change caused by lithium intercalation (expansion) and extraction (contraction). This deflection is monitored using the Fabry–Perot optical interferometry principle. The active material volume change causes high internal stresses and mechanical degradation of the electrodes. The stress evolution observed in a silicon thin-film electrode incorporated into this MEMS platform follows a ‘first elastic, then plastic’ deformation scheme. Understanding of the internal stresses in battery electrodes during discharge/charge is important for improving the reliability and cycle lifetime of LIBs. The developed MEMS platform presents a new method for in situ diagnostics of thin-film LIB electrodes to aid the development of new materials, optimization of electrode performance, and prevention of battery failure. (paper)

A Obra Cinematográfica como Formadora de Sentidos: uma análise do filme Memórias de uma Gueixa

OpenAIRE

Maria Perufo, Dangela; Cavalli, Vanessa

2010-01-01

O estudo tem como objetivo verificar o papel da Direção de Arte como formadora de sentidos em imagens e sons, dentro do conjunto da produção cinematográfica, analisando dois aspectos: figurino e fotografia, no filme Memórias de uma Gueixa, dirigido por Rob Marshall. Inicia-se o texto tratando de referenciais teóricos que fundamentam a pesquisa, conceituando tópicos como nova linguagem oral, cultura, adaptação de literatura para vídeo, linguagem verbal e não verbal. O artigo também trata de de...

Tecnologia, experiência e memória

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aécio Amaral Jr

2006-10-01

Full Text Available O artigo investiga a estruturação de uma nova cultura de memória, a qual inverte a lógica metafísica com que se pensou a relação entre tecnologia e experiência nas ciências sociais. Com as recentes tecnologias da vida e da informação, a concepção do corpo humano como algo que se constitui à margem de um aparato tecnológico declina em credibilidade. Com isso, um dos principais projetos da metafísica ocidental, a saber, a estruturação de um campo de experiência e conhecimento livre de suportes técnicos, malogra em seu humanismo tecnofóbico. A partir de uma apreciação do conto Memento Mori, de Jonathan Nolan, e do filme Amnésia, de Christopher Nolan, analiso a relação entre memória e escritura, corpo e arquivo na contemporaneidade. O objetivo é perceber as tensões e oscilações implícitas na tentativa de instauração de uma mnemotécnica pretensamente pós-humana ou pós-orgânica. Palavras-chave: tecnologia; experiência; memória; humanismo; pós-humanismo.

Development of a Multi-User Polyimide-MEMS Fabrication Process and its Application to MicroHotplates

KAUST Repository

Lizardo, Ernesto B.

2013-05-08

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) became possible thanks to the silicon based technology used to fabricate integrated circuits. Originally, MEMS fabrication was limited to silicon based techniques and materials, but the expansion of MEMS applications brought the need of a wider catalog of materials, including polymers, now being used to fabricate MEMS. Polyimide is a very attractive polymer for MEMS fabrication due to its high temperature stability compared to other polymers, low coefficient of thermal expansion, low film stress and low cost. The goal of this thesis is to expand the Polyimide usage as structural material for MEMS by the development of a multi-user fabrication process for the integration of this polymer along with multiple metal layers on a silicon substrate. The process also integrates amorphous silicon as sacrificial layer to create free-standing structures. Dry etching is used to release the devices and avoid stiction phenomena. The developed process is used to fabricate platforms for micro-hotplate gas sensors. The fabrication steps for the platforms are described in detail, explaining the process specifics and capabilities. An initial testing of the micro-hotplate is presented. As the process was also used as educational tool, some designs made by students and fabricated with the Polyimide-MEMS process are also presented.

PVA/Polysaccharides Blended Films: Mechanical Properties

OpenAIRE

Silva, Fábio E. F.; Di-Medeiros, Maria Carolina B.; Batista, Karla A.; Fernandes, Kátia F.

2013-01-01

Blends of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and angico gum (AG) and/or cashew gum (CG) were used to produce films by casting method. Morphological and mechanical properties of these films were studied and compared to the properties of a commercial collagen membrane of bovine origin (MBO). The films presented thickness varying from 70 to 140 μm (PVA/AG) and 140 to 200 μm (PVA/CG). Macroscopic analysis showed that a PVA/CG film was very similar to MBO regarding the color and transparency. The higher valu...

Piezoelectric polydimethylsiloxane films for MEMS transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jhih-Jhe; Hsu, Tsung-Hsing; Yeh, Che-Nan; Tsai, Jui-Wei; Su, Yu-Chuan

2012-01-01

We have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of piezoelectric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films utilizing multilayer casting, stacking, surface coating and micro plasma discharge processes. To realize the desired electromechanical sensitivity, cellular PDMS structures with micrometer-sized voids are implanted with bipolar charges on the opposite inner surfaces. The implanted charge pairs function as dipoles, which respond promptly to diverse electromechanical stimulation. In the prototype demonstration, cellular PDMS films with various void geometries are fabricated and internally coated with a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene, which can help secure the implanted charges. An electric field up to 35 MV m −1 is applied across the fabricated PDMS films to ionize the air in the voids and to accelerate the resulting bipolar charges to bombard the opposite inner surfaces. The resulting charge-implanted, cellular PDMS films show a low effective elastic modulus (E) of about 500 kPa, and a piezoelectric coefficient (d 33 ) higher than 300 pC N −1 , which is more than ten times higher than those of common piezoelectric polymers (e.g. polyvinylidene fluoride). Furthermore, the piezoelectricity of the PDMS films can be tailored by adjusting the dimensions of the cellular structures. As such, the demonstrated piezoelectric PDMS films could potentially serve as flexible and sensitive electromechanical materials, and fulfill the needs of a variety of sensor and energy harvesting applications. (paper)

A capacitive CMOS-MEMS sensor designed by multi-physics simulation for integrated CMOS-MEMS technology

Science.gov (United States)

Konishi, Toshifumi; Yamane, Daisuke; Matsushima, Takaaki; Masu, Kazuya; Machida, Katsuyuki; Toshiyoshi, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

This paper reports the design and evaluation results of a capacitive CMOS-MEMS sensor that consists of the proposed sensor circuit and a capacitive MEMS device implemented on the circuit. To design a capacitive CMOS-MEMS sensor, a multi-physics simulation of the electromechanical behavior of both the MEMS structure and the sensing LSI was carried out simultaneously. In order to verify the validity of the design, we applied the capacitive CMOS-MEMS sensor to a MEMS accelerometer implemented by the post-CMOS process onto a 0.35-µm CMOS circuit. The experimental results of the CMOS-MEMS accelerometer exhibited good agreement with the simulation results within the input acceleration range between 0.5 and 6 G (1 G = 9.8 m/s2), corresponding to the output voltages between 908.6 and 915.4 mV, respectively. Therefore, we have confirmed that our capacitive CMOS-MEMS sensor and the multi-physics simulation will be beneficial method to realize integrated CMOS-MEMS technology.

The critical properties of magnetic films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saber, M.; Ainane, A.; Essaoudi, I.; Miguel, J.J. de

2010-01-01

Within the framework of the transverse spin-1/2 Ising model and by using the effective field theory with a probability distribution technique that accounts for the self spin correlations, we have studied the critical properties of an L-layer film of simple cubic symmetry in which the exchanges strength are assumed to be different from the bulk values in N S surface layers. We derive and illustrate the expressions for the phase diagrams, order parameter profiles and susceptibility. In such films, the critical temperature can shift to either lower or higher temperature compared with the corresponding bulk value. We calculate also some magnetic properties of the film, such as the layer magnetizations, their averages and their profiles and the longitudinal susceptibility of the film. The film longitudinal susceptibility still diverges at the film critical temperature as does the bulk longitudinal susceptibility.

EDITORIAL: International MEMS Conference 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Tay, Francis E. H.; Jianmin, Miao; Iliescu, Ciprian

2006-04-01

The International MEMS conference (iMEMS2006) organized by the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Nanyang Technological University aims to provide a platform for academicians, professionals and industrialists in various related fields from all over the world to share and learn from each other. Of great interest is the incorporation of the theme of life sciences application using MEMS. It is the desire of this conference to initiate collaboration and form network of cooperation. This has continued to be the objective of iMEMS since its inception in 1997. The technological advance of MEMS over the past few decades has been truly exciting in terms of development and applications. In order to participate in this rapid development, a conference involving delegates from within the MEMS community and outside the community is very meaningful and timely. With the receipt of over 200 articles, delegates related to MEMS field from all over the world will share their perspectives on topics such as MEMS/MST Design, MEMS Teaching and Education, MEMS/MST Packaging, MEMS/MST Fabrication, Microsystems Applications, System Integration, Wearable Devices, MEMSWear and BioMEMS. Invited speakers and delegates from outside the field have also been involved to provide challenges, especially in the life sciences field, for the MEMS community to potentially address. The proceedings of the conference will be published as an issue in the online Journal of Physics: Conference Series and this can reach a wider audience and will facilitate the reference and citation of the work presented in the conference. We wish to express our deep gratitude to the International Scientific Committee members and the organizing committee members for contributing to the success of this conference. We would like to thank all the delegates, speakers and sponsors from all over the world for presenting and sharing their perspectives on topics related to MEMS and the challenges that MEMS can

Lessons learned from nanoscale specimens tested by MEMS-based apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Elhebeary, Mohamed; Saif, M. Taher A.

2017-06-01

The last two decades were marked by the innovative synthesis of nanomaterials and devices. The success of these devices hinges on the mechanical properties of nanomaterials and an understanding of their deformation and failure mechanisms. Many novel testing techniques have been developed to test materials at small scale. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) apparatus developed to characterize materials at nanoscale, and the key insights gained on structure-property relations of materials through these characterizations. Finally, new applications of MEMS in testing living materials, such as tissues and cells, for disease diagnosis and prognosis are discussed.

Lessons learned from nanoscale specimens tested by MEMS-based apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elhebeary, Mohamed; Saif, M Taher A

2017-01-01

The last two decades were marked by the innovative synthesis of nanomaterials and devices. The success of these devices hinges on the mechanical properties of nanomaterials and an understanding of their deformation and failure mechanisms. Many novel testing techniques have been developed to test materials at small scale. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) apparatus developed to characterize materials at nanoscale, and the key insights gained on structure-property relations of materials through these characterizations. Finally, new applications of MEMS in testing living materials, such as tissues and cells, for disease diagnosis and prognosis are discussed. (topical review)

The evaluation of Young's modulus and residual stress of Cu films by NiFe/Cu bilayer film microbridge tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Zhimin; Zhou Yong; Cao Ying; Ding Wen; Mao Haiping

2008-01-01

This paper proposes a method to estimate the thickness limit for single-layer microbridge tests and also the thickness limit of one film on another film with known thickness for bilayer microbridge tests. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the Cu film, which could not be measured by single-layer microbridge tests, the NiFe single-layer film and NiFe/Cu bilayer film on silicon substrate are fabricated onto the microbridge by the MEMS technique. A load–deflection experiment is conducted upon the ceramic shaft adhered to the microbridge center by means of the XP nanoindenter system. From single-layer microbridge theory, Young's modulus and the residual stress of the NiFe film are deduced to be 192.74 ± 8.10 GPa and 287.75 ± 16.18 MPa, respectively. The data are introduced into bilayer microbridge theory and Young's modulus and the residual stress of the copper film are calculated to be 118.71 ± 6.54 GPa and 41.34 ± 4.42 MPa, respectively. The experimental results correspond well with those of nanoindentation

Advanced Mechatronics and MEMS Devices

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

Advanced Mechatronics and MEMS Devicesdescribes state-of-the-art MEMS devices and introduces the latest technology in electrical and mechanical microsystems. The evolution of design in microfabrication, as well as emerging issues in nanomaterials, micromachining, micromanufacturing and microassembly are all discussed at length in this volume. Advanced Mechatronics also provides a reader with knowledge of MEMS sensors array, MEMS multidimensional accelerometer, artificial skin with imbedded tactile components, as well as other topics in MEMS sensors and transducers. The book also presents a number of topics in advanced robotics and an abundance of applications of MEMS in robotics, like reconfigurable modular snake robots, magnetic MEMS robots for drug delivery and flying robots with adjustable wings, to name a few. This book also: Covers the fundamentals of advanced mechatronics and MEMS devices while also presenting new state-of-the-art methodology and technology used in the application of these devices Prese...

Novel SU-8 based vacuum wafer-level packaging for MEMS devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Murillo, Gonzalo; Davis, Zachary James; Keller, Stephan Urs

2010-01-01

This work presents a simple and low-cost SU-8 based wafer-level vacuum packaging method which is CMOS and MEMS compatible. Different approaches have been investigated by taking advantage of the properties of SU-8, such as chemical resistance, optical transparence, mechanical reliability and versa......This work presents a simple and low-cost SU-8 based wafer-level vacuum packaging method which is CMOS and MEMS compatible. Different approaches have been investigated by taking advantage of the properties of SU-8, such as chemical resistance, optical transparence, mechanical reliability...

A MEMS sensor for microscale force measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majcherek, S; Aman, A; Fochtmann, J

2016-01-01

This paper describes the development and testing of a new MEMS-based sensor device for microscale contact force measurements. A special MEMS cell was developed to reach higher lateral resolution than common steel-based load cells with foil-type strain gauges as mechanical-electrical converters. The design provided more than one normal force measurement point with spatial resolution in submillimeter range. Specific geometric adaption of the MEMS-device allowed adjustability of its measurement range between 0.5 and 5 N. The thin film nickel-chromium piezo resistors were used to achieve a mechanical-electrical conversion. The production process was realized by established silicon processing technologies such as deep reactive ion etching and vapor deposition (sputtering). The sensor was tested in two steps. Firstly, the sensor characteristics were carried out by application of defined loads at the measurement points by a push-pull tester. As a result, the sensor showed linear behavior. A measurement system analysis (MSA1) was performed to define the reliability of the measurement system. The measured force values had the maximal relative deviation of 1% to average value of 1.97 N. Secondly, the sensor was tested under near-industrial conditions. In this context, the thermal induced relaxation behavior of the electrical connector contact springs was investigated. The handling of emerging problems during the characterization process of the sensor is also described. (paper)

Evolution of gettering technologies for vacuum tubes to getters for MEMS

Science.gov (United States)

Amiotti, M.

2008-05-01

development of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) with moving parts in a vacuum environment required the development of a new generation of getter film, few microns thick, that can be selectively patterned onto a silicon or glass wafer (usually 4'' or 8''). This wafer with patterned getter film can be used directly as the cap wafer of a wafer to wafer bonded MEMS structure, assuring long life and reliability to the moving MEMS structure especially in automotive applications where thermal cycles are required for qualification.

Highly polarized single-c-domain single-crystal Pb(Mn,Nb)O(3)-PZT thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Wasa, Kiyotaka; Adachi, Hideaki; Nishida, Ken; Yamamoto, Takashi; Matsushima, Tomoaki; Kanno, Isaku; Kotera, Hidetoshi

2012-01-01

In-plane unstrained single-c-domain/single-crystal thin films of PZT-based ternary ferroelectric perovskite, ξPb(Mn,Nb)O3-(1 - ξ)PZT, were grown on SrRuO(3)/Pt/MgO substrates using magnetron sputtering followed by quenching. The sputtered unstrained thin films exhibit unique ferroelectric properties: high coercive field, Ec > 180 kV/cm, large remanent polarization, P(r) = 100 μC/cm(2), small relative dielectric constants, ε* = 100 to 150, high Curie temperature, Tc = ~600 °C, and bulk-like large transverse piezoelectric constants, e31,f = -12.0 C/m(2) for PZT(48/52) at ξ = 0.06. The unstrained thin films are an ideal structure to extract the bulk ferroelectric properties. Their micro-structures and ferroelectric properties are discussed in relation to the potential applications for piezoelectric MEMS. © 2012 IEEE

Characterization of the Young's modulus and residual stresses for a sputtered silicon oxynitride film using micro-structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong, Jian; Du, Ping; Zhang, Xin

2013-01-01

Silicon oxynitride (SiON) is an important material to fabricate micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices due to its composition-dependent tunability in electronic and mechanical properties. In this work, the SiON film with 41.45% silicon, 32.77% oxygen and 25.78% nitrogen content was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. Two types of optimized micro-structures including micro-cantilevers and micro-rotating-fingers were designed and fabricated using MEMS surface micromachining technology. The micro-cantilever bending tests were conducted using a nanoindenter to characterize the Young's modulus of the SiON film. Owing to the elimination of the residual stress effect on the micro-cantilever structure, higher accuracy in the Young's modulus was achieved from this technique. With the information of Young's modulus of the film, the residual stresses were characterized from the deflection of the micro-rotating-fingers. This structure was able to locally measure a large range of tensile or compressive residual stresses in a thin film with sufficient sensitivities. The results showed that the Young's modulus of the SiON film was 122 GPa and the residual stresses of the SiON film were 327 MPa in the crystallographic orientation of the wafer and 334 MPa in the direction perpendicular to the crystallographic orientation, both in compression. This work presents a comprehensive methodology to measure the Young's modulus and residual stresses of a thin film with improved accuracy, which is promising for applications in mechanical characterization of MEMS devices. - Highlight: • We measured the Young's modulus and residual stress of SiON film by microstructure. • Micro cantilever structure improved the Young's modulus' measurement accuracy. • We explored the reason for the deviations of residual stress value of SiON film

Energy Harvesting & Recapture from Human Subjects: Dual-Stage MEMS Cantilever Energy Harvester

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

beam must be anchored to a thermally insulating layer that separates the cantilever from the substrate. Thermal 52 isolation is paramount because the...34Squeeze film air damping in MEMS," Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, vol. 136, pp. 3-27, 2007. 86 [12] Y. Arakawa, "Micro Seismic Power Generator

Preliminary Performance Evaluation of MEMS-based Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters in Extended Temperature Range

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, R.; Borregaard, L.M.; Lei, A.

2012-01-01

In this work a batch of MEMS-based vibration energy harvesters consisting of a silicon/PZT thick film ntilever with integrated proof mass is characterized. The purpose of a vibration energy harvester is to convert low grade vibrations to useful electrical power. Optimally, the natural frequency...

Method of forming a package for MEMS-based fuel cell

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Jeffrey D; Jankowski, Alan F

2013-05-21

A MEMS-based fuel cell package and method thereof is disclosed. The fuel cell package comprises seven layers: (1) a sub-package fuel reservoir interface layer, (2) an anode manifold support layer, (3) a fuel/anode manifold and resistive heater layer, (4) a Thick Film Microporous Flow Host Structure layer containing a fuel cell, (5) an air manifold layer, (6) a cathode manifold support structure layer, and (7) a cap. Fuel cell packages with more than one fuel cell are formed by positioning stacks of these layers in series and/or parallel. The fuel cell package materials such as a molded plastic or a ceramic green tape material can be patterned, aligned and stacked to form three dimensional microfluidic channels that provide electrical feedthroughs from various layers which are bonded together and mechanically support a MEMS-based miniature fuel cell. The package incorporates resistive heating elements to control the temperature of the fuel cell stack. The package is fired to form a bond between the layers and one or more microporous flow host structures containing fuel cells are inserted within the Thick Film Microporous Flow Host Structure layer of the package.

A Study on the Thickness Measurement of Thin Film by Ultrasonic Wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Eung Kyo; Lee, Jae Joon; Kim, Jae Yeol

1988-01-01

Recently, it is gradually raised necessity that thickness of thin film is measured accurately and managed in industrial circles and medical world. In this study, regarding to the thickness of film which is in opaque object and is beyond distance resolution capacity, thickness measurement was done by MEM-cepstrum analysis of received ultrasonic wave. In measurement results, film thickness which is beyond distance resolution capacity was measured accurately. And within thickness range that don't exist interference, thickness measurement by MEM-ceptrum analysis was impossible

Converting MEMS technology into profits

Science.gov (United States)

Bryzek, Janusz

1998-08-01

This paper discusses issues related to transitioning a company from the advanced technology development phase (with a particular focus on MEMS) to a profitable business, with emphasis on start-up companies. It includes several case studies from (primarily) NovaSensor MEMS development history. These case studies illustrate strategic problems with which advanced MEMS technology developers have to be concerned. Conclusions from these case studies could be used as checkpoints for future MEMS developers to increase probability of profitable operations. The objective for this paper is to share the author's experience from multiple MEMS start-ups to accelerate development of the MEMS market by focusing state- of-the-art technologists on marketing issues.

Method for spatially modulating X-ray pulses using MEMS-based X-ray optics

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Daniel; Shenoy, Gopal; Wang, Jin; Walko, Donald A.; Jung, Il-Woong; Mukhopadhyay, Deepkishore

2015-03-10

A method and apparatus are provided for spatially modulating X-rays or X-ray pulses using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based X-ray optics. A torsionally-oscillating MEMS micromirror and a method of leveraging the grazing-angle reflection property are provided to modulate X-ray pulses with a high-degree of controllability.

PREFACE: MEM07: The 5th Annual Workshop on Mechanical and Electromagnetic Properties of Composite Superconductors (Princeton, NJ, USA, 21 24 August 2007)

Science.gov (United States)

Larbalestier, D. C.; Osamura, K.; Hampshire, D. P.

2008-05-01

MEM07 was the 5th international workshop concentrating on the mechanical and electrical properties of composite superconductors, which are the technological conductor forms from which practical superconducting devices are made. Such superconducting conductors respond to important challenges we currently face, especially those concerned with the proper management of the world's energy resources. Superconductivity provides a means to address the challenges in the generation, transmission and distribution, and use of energy. For energy generation, the ITER Fusion Tokomak (now underway in France) provides exciting new challenges for the whole superconductivity community, due to the enormous size and strong fields of the plasma confinement superconducting magnets that will form the largest and most powerful superconducting machine yet built. Significant attention was paid at MEM07 to the modeling, characterization, testing and validation of the high-amperage Nb3Sn cable-in-conduit conductors needed for ITER. As for electric energy industry uses, there was much discussion of both first generation (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox conductors and the rapidly emerging second generation coated conductors made from YBa2Cu37-x. High-performing, affordable conductors of these materials are vital for large capacity transmission cables, energy storage systems, fault current limiters, generators and motors—many prototypes of which are being pursued in technologically advanced countries. There is a broad consensus that the prototype stage for high-current-high-field superconducting applications is nearing its end and that large scale applications are technologically feasible. However full industrialization of large-scale superconducting technologies in electric utility applications will benefit from continuous improvement in critical current, lower ac loss, higher strength and other vital conductor properties. The establishment of optimal procedures for the system design accompanying scale

AlN piezoelectric films for sensing and actuation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tran, A.T.

2014-01-01

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) is explored as a thin film material for piezoelectric MEMS applications. A pulse DC reactive sputtering technique is used to deposit the AlN thin films and process parameters are optimized to obtain good crystallinity and high c-axis orientation films. A CMOS compatible

MEMS for automotive and aerospace applications

CERN Document Server

Kraft, Michael

2013-01-01

MEMS for automotive and aerospace applications reviews the use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) in developing solutions to the unique challenges presented by the automotive and aerospace industries.Part one explores MEMS for a variety of automotive applications. The role of MEMS in passenger safety and comfort, sensors for automotive vehicle stability control applications and automotive tire pressure monitoring systems are considered, along with pressure and flow sensors for engine management, and RF MEMS for automotive radar sensors. Part two then goes on to explore MEMS for

Comparison of residual stress measurement in thin films using surface micromachining method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Q.; Luo, Z.X.; Chen, X.Y.

2008-01-01

Conductive, dielectric, semiconducting, piezoelectric and ferroelectric thin films are extensively used for MEMS/NEMS applications. One of the important parameters of thin films is residual stress. The residual stress can seriously affect the properties, performance and long-term stability of the films. Excessive compressive or tensile stress results in buckling, cracking, splintering and sticking problems. Stress measurement techniques are therefore essential for both process development and process monitoring. Many suggestions for stress measurement in thin films have been made over the past several decades. This paper is concentrated on the in situ stress measurement using surface micromachining techniques to determine the residual stress. The authors review and compare several types of stress measurement methods including buckling technique, rotating technique, micro strain gauge and long-short beam strain sensor

A review: aluminum nitride MEMS contour-mode resonator

Science.gov (United States)

Yunhong, Hou; Meng, Zhang; Guowei, Han; Chaowei, Si; Yongmei, Zhao; Jin, Ning

2016-10-01

Over the past several decades, the technology of micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) has advanced. A clear need of miniaturization and integration of electronics components has had new solutions for the next generation of wireless communications. The aluminum nitride (AlN) MEMS contour-mode resonator (CMR) has emerged and become promising and competitive due to the advantages of the small size, high quality factor and frequency, low resistance, compatibility with integrated circuit (IC) technology, and the ability of integrating multi-frequency devices on a single chip. In this article, a comprehensive review of AlN MEMS CMR technology will be presented, including its basic working principle, main structures, fabrication processes, and methods of performance optimization. Among these, the deposition and etching process of the AlN film will be specially emphasized and recent advances in various performance optimization methods of the CMR will be given through specific examples which are mainly focused on temperature compensation and reducing anchor losses. This review will conclude with an assessment of the challenges and future trends of the CMR. Project supported by National Natural Science Foundation (Nos. 61274001, 61234007, 61504130), the Nurturing and Development Special Projects of Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Base's Financial Support (No. Z131103002813070), and the National Defense Science and Technology Innovation Fund of CAS (No. CXJJ-14-M32).

Design and Simulation of MEMS Devices using Interval Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shanmugavalli, M; Uma, G; Vasuki, B; Umapathy, M

2006-01-01

Modeling and simulation of MEMS devices are used to optimize the design, to improve the performance of the device, to reduce time to market, to minimize development time and cost by avoiding unnecessary design cycles and foundry runs. The major design objectives in any device design, is to meet the required functional parameters and the reliability of the device. The functional parameters depend on the geometry of the structure, material properties and process parameters. All model parameters act as input to optimize the functional parameters. The major difficulty the designer faces is the dimensions and properties used in the simulation of the MEMS devices can not be exactly followed during fabrication. In order to overcome this problem, the designer must test the device in simulation for bound of parameters involved in it. The paper demonstrates the use of interval methods to assess the electromechanical behaviour of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) under the presence of manufacturing and process uncertainties. Interval method guides the design of pullin voltage analysis of fixed-fixed beam to achieve a robust and reliable design in a most efficient way. The methods are implemented numerically using Coventorware and analytically using Intlab

The Characterization of Thin Film Nickel Titanium Shape Memory Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Harris Odum, Nicole Latrice

Shape memory alloys (SMA) are able to recover their original shape through the appropriate heat or stress exposure after enduring mechanical deformation at a low temperature. Numerous alloy systems have been discovered which produce this unique feature like TiNb, AgCd, NiAl, NiTi, and CuZnAl. Since their discovery, bulk scale SMAs have undergone extensive material property investigations and are employed in real world applications. However, its thin film counterparts have been modestly investigated and applied. Researchers have introduced numerous theoretical microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices; yet, the research community's overall unfamiliarity with the thin film properties has delayed growth in this area. In addition, it has been difficult to outline efficient thin film processing techniques. In this dissertation, NiTi thin film processing and characterization techniques will be outlined and discussed. NiTi thin films---1 mum thick---were produced using sputter deposition techniques. Substrate bound thin films were deposited to analysis the surface using Scanning Electron Microscopy; the film composition was obtained using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy; the phases were identified using X-ray diffraction; and the transformation temperatures acquired using resistivity testing. Microfabrication processing and sputter deposition were employed to develop tensile membranes for membrane deflection experimentation to gain insight on the mechanical properties of the thin films. The incorporation of these findings will aid in the movement of SMA microactuation devices from theory to fruition and greatly benefit industries such as medicinal and aeronautical.

MEMS- and NEMS-based smart devices and systems

Science.gov (United States)

Varadan, Vijay K.

2001-11-01

structures and food and medical industries. This unique combination of technologies also results in novel conformal sensors that can be remotely sensed by an antenna system with the advantage of no power requirements at the sensor site. This paper provides a brief review of MEMS and NEMS based smart systems for various applications mentioned above. Carbon Nano Tubes (CNT) with their unique structure, have already proven to be valuable in their application as tips for scanning probe microscopy, field emission devices, nanoelectronics, H2-storage, electromagnetic absorbers, ESD, EMI films and coatings and structural composites. For many of these applications, highly purified and functionalized CNT which are compatible with many host polymers are needed. A novel microwave CVD processing technique to meet these requirements has been developed at Penn State Center for the engineering of Electronic and Acoustic Materials and Devices (CEEAMD). This method enables the production of highly purified carbon nano tubes with variable size (from 5-40 nm) at low cost (per gram) and high yield. Whereas, carbon nano tubes synthesized using the laser ablation or arc discharge evaporation method always include impurity due to catalyst or catalyst support. The Penn State research is based on the use of zeolites over other metal/metal oxides in the microwave field for a high production and uniformity of the product. An extended conventional purification method has been employed to purify our products in order to remove left over impurity. A novel composite structure can be tailored by functionalizing carbon nano tubes and chemically bonding them with the polymer matrix e.g. block or graft copolymer, or even cross- linked copolymer, to impart exceptional structural, electronic and surface properties. Bio- and Mechanical-MEMS devices derived from this hybrid composites will be presented.

Evolution of gettering technologies for vacuum tubes to getters for MEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amiotti, M [SAES Getters S.p.A., Viale Italia 77, 20020 Lainate, Milano (Italy)], E-mail: Marco_Amiotti@saes-group.com

2008-05-01

getter surface. The development of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) with moving parts in a vacuum environment required the development of a new generation of getter film, few microns thick, that can be selectively patterned onto a silicon or glass wafer (usually 4-prime or 8-prime). This wafer with patterned getter film can be used directly as the cap wafer of a wafer to wafer bonded MEMS structure, assuring long life and reliability to the moving MEMS structure especially in automotive applications where thermal cycles are required for qualification.

Videometrics-based Detection of Vibration Linearity in MEMS Gyroscope

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Zhou

2011-05-01

Full Text Available MEMS gyroscope performs as a sort of sensor to detect angular velocity, with diverse applications in engineering including vehicle and intelligent traffic etc. A balanced vibration of driving module excited by electrostatic driving signal is the base MEMS gyroscope's performance. In order to analyze the linear property of vibration in MEMS Gyroscope, a method of computer vision measuring is applied with the help of high-speed vidicon to obtain video of linear vibration of driving module in gyroscope, under the driving voltage signal of inherent frequency and amplitude linearly increasing. By means of image processing, target identifying, and motion parameter extracting from the obtained video, vibration curve with time variation is acquired. And then, linearity of this vibration system can be analyzed by focusing on the amplitude value of vibration responding to the amplitude variation of driving voltage signal.

CMOS MEMS Fabrication Technologies and Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwei Qu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems fabrication technologies and enabled micro devices of various sensors and actuators. The technologies are classified based on the sequence of the fabrication of CMOS circuitry and MEMS elements, while SOI (silicon-on-insulator CMOS MEMS are introduced separately. Introduction of associated devices follows the description of the respective CMOS MEMS technologies. Due to the vast array of CMOS MEMS devices, this review focuses only on the most typical MEMS sensors and actuators including pressure sensors, inertial sensors, frequency reference devices and actuators utilizing different physics effects and the fabrication processes introduced. Moreover, the incorporation of MEMS and CMOS is limited to monolithic integration, meaning wafer-bonding-based stacking and other integration approaches, despite their advantages, are excluded from the discussion. Both competitive industrial products and state-of-the-art research results on CMOS MEMS are covered.

Finite element modeling of micromachined MEMS photon devices

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Boyd M., III; Schonberger, D. W.; Datskos, Panos G.

1999-09-01

The technology of microelectronics that has evolved over the past half century is one of great power and sophistication and can now be extended to many applications (MEMS and MOEMS) other than electronics. An interesting application of MEMS quantum devices is the detection of electromagnetic radiation. The operation principle of MEMS quantum devices is based on the photoinduced stress in semiconductors, and the photon detection results from the measurement of the photoinduced bending. These devices can be described as micromechanical photon detectors. In this work, we have developed a technique for simulating electronic stresses using finite element analysis. We have used our technique to model the response of micromechanical photon devices to external stimuli and compared these results with experimental data. Material properties, geometry, and bimaterial design play an important role in the performance of micromechanical photon detectors. We have modeled these effects using finite element analysis and included the effects of bimaterial thickness coating, effective length of the device, width, and thickness.

Finite Element Modeling of Micromachined MEMS Photon Devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datskos, P.G.; Evans, B.M.; Schonberger, D.

1999-01-01

The technology of microelectronics that has evolved over the past half century is one of great power and sophistication and can now be extended to many applications (MEMS and MOEMS) other than electronics. An interesting application of MEMS quantum devices is the detection of electromagnetic radiation. The operation principle of MEMS quantum devices is based on the photoinduced stress in semiconductors, and the photon detection results from the measurement of the photoinduced bending. These devices can be described as micromechanical photon detectors. In this work, we have developed a technique for simulating electronic stresses using finite element analysis. We have used our technique to model the response of micromechanical photon devices to external stimuli and compared these results with experimental data. Material properties, geometry, and bimaterial design play an important role in the performance of micromechanical photon detectors. We have modeled these effects using finite element analysis and included the effects of bimaterial thickness coating, effective length of the device, width, and thickness

Optical properties of monodispersive FePt nanoparticle films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, S.J.; Lo, C.C.H. [Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); Yu, A.C.C. [Sony Corporation, Sendai Technology Center, 3-4-1 Sakuragi, Miyagi 985-0842 (Japan); Fan, M. [Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States)

2004-10-01

The optical properties of monodispersive FePt nanoparticle films were investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry in the energy range of 1.5 to 5.5 eV. The monodispersive FePt nanoparticle film was stabilized on a Si substrate by means of an organosilane coupling film, resulting in the formation of a (Si/SiO{sub 2}/APTS/FePt nanoparticles monolayer) structure. Multilayer optical models were employed to study the contribution of the FePt nanoparticles to the measured optical properties of the monodispersive FePt nanoparticle film, and to estimate the optical properties of the FePt nanoparticle layer. (copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Nanostructured thin films and coatings mechanical properties

CERN Document Server

2010-01-01

The first volume in "The Handbook of Nanostructured Thin Films and Coatings" set, this book concentrates on the mechanical properties, such as hardness, toughness, and adhesion, of thin films and coatings. It discusses processing, properties, and performance and provides a detailed analysis of theories and size effects. The book presents the fundamentals of hard and superhard nanocomposites and heterostructures, assesses fracture toughness and interfacial adhesion strength of thin films and hard nanocomposite coatings, and covers the processing and mechanical properties of hybrid sol-gel-derived nanocomposite coatings. It also uses nanomechanics to optimize coatings for cutting tools and explores various other coatings, such as diamond, metal-containing amorphous carbon nanostructured, and transition metal nitride-based nanolayered multilayer coatings.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrochemical Properties of Polyaniline Thin Films

Science.gov (United States)

Rami, Soukaina

Conjugated polymers have been used in various applications (battery, supercapacitor, electromagnetic shielding, chemical sensor, biosensor, nanocomposite, light-emitting-diode, electrochromic display etc.) due to their excellent conductivity, electrochemical and optical properties, and low cost. Polyaniline has attracted the researchers from all disciplines of science, engineering, and industry due to its redox properties, environmental stability, conductivity, and optical properties. Moreover, it is a polymer with fast electroactive switching and reversible properties displayed at low potential, which is an important feature in many applications. The thin oriented polyaniline films have been fabricated using self-assembly, Langmuir-Blodgett, in-situ self-assembly, layer-by-layer, and electrochemical technique. The focus of this thesis is to synthesize and characterize polyaniline thin films with and without dyes. Also, the purpose of this thesis is to find the fastest electroactive switching PANI electrode in different electrolytic medium by studying their electrochemical properties. These films were fabricated using two deposition techniques: in-situ self-assembly and electrochemical deposition. The characterization of these films was done using techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). FTIR and UV-spectroscopy showed similar results in the structure of the polyaniline films. However, for the dye incorporated films, since there was an addition in the synthesis of the material, peak locations shifted, and new peaks corresponding to these materials appeared. The 1 layer PANI showed compact film morphology, comparing to other PANI films, which displayed a fiber-like structure. Finally, the electrochemical properties of these thin films were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in

Adsorption properties of thermally sputtered calcein film

Science.gov (United States)

Kruglenko, I.; Burlachenko, J.; Kravchenko, S.; Savchenko, A.; Slabkovska, M.; Shirshov, Yu.

2014-05-01

High humidity environments are often found in such areas as biotechnology, food chemistry, plant physiology etc. The controlling of parameters of such ambiences is vitally important. Thermally deposited calcein films have extremely high adsorptivity at exposure to water vapor of high concentration. This feature makes calcein a promising material for humidity sensing applications. The aim of this work is to explain high sensitivity and selectivity of calcein film to high humidity. Quartz crystal microbalance sensor, AFM and ellipsometry were used for calcein film characterization and adsorption properties investigation. The proposed model takes into account both the molecular properties of calcein (the presence of several functional groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds, and their arrangement) and the features of structure of thermally deposited calcein film (film restructuring due to the switching of bonds "calcein-calcein" to "calcein-water" in the course of water adsorption).

Na Trilha Dos Sujeitos: audiovisual, memória e o evento de empoderamento para as mulheres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Capibaribe Leite

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Como a atualização das memórias individuais representadas nas imagens podem compor discursos sobre autonomia para as mulheres? A partir de quatro filmes produzidos pelo consórcio internacional Pathways of Women’s Empowerment, este artigo propõe a definição de um evento de empoderamento para as mulheres enquanto processo de mudanças em suas vidas, midiatizado através das imagens e que se conecta a dois outros eventos contemporâneos: da fotografia e do endereçamento fílmico. A intenção é investigar como os filmes abordam os espaços de transição para diferentes sujeitos-mulher, a partir das narrativas da memória que contraem passado e futuro no presente e estabelecem linhas de pertencimento por via de um “tornar-se”.

Mechanical properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer self-assembled films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Xinhua; Zhang Yongjun; Guan Ying; Yang Shuguang; Xu Jian

2005-01-01

The mechanical properties of electrostatic self-assembled multilayer films from polyacrylic acid (PAA) and C 60 -ethylenediamine adduct (C 60 -EDA) or poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) were evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) wear experiments. Because of the higher molecular weight of PAH, the wear resistance of the (PAH/PAA) 10 film is higher than that of the (PAH/PAA) 2 (C 60 -EDA/PAA) 8 film; that is, the former is mechanically more stable than the latter. The mechanical stability of both films can be improved significantly by heat treatment, which changes the nature of the linkage from ionic to covalent. The AFM measurement also reveals that the (PAH/PAA) 2 (C 60 -EDA/PAA) 8 film is softer than the (PAH/PAA) 10 film. The friction properties of the heated films were measured. These films can be developed as potential lubrication coatings for microelectromechanical systems

Ultra-compact MEMS FTIR spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Sabry, Yasser M.; Hassan, Khaled; Anwar, Momen; Alharon, Mohamed H.; Medhat, Mostafa; Adib, George A.; Dumont, Rich; Saadany, Bassam; Khalil, Diaa

2017-05-01

Portable and handheld spectrometers are being developed and commercialized in the late few years leveraging the rapidly-progressing technology and triggering new markets in the field of on-site spectroscopic analysis. Although handheld devices were commercialized for the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), their size and cost stand as an obstacle against the deployment of the spectrometer as spectral sensing components needed for the smart phone industry and the IoT applications. In this work we report a chip-sized microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based FTIR spectrometer. The core optical engine of the solution is built using a passive-alignment integration technique for a selfaligned MEMS chip; self-aligned microoptics and a single detector in a tiny package sized about 1 cm3. The MEMS chip is a monolithic, high-throughput scanning Michelson interferometer fabricated using deep reactive ion etching technology of silicon-on-insulator substrate. The micro-optical part is used for conditioning the input/output light to/from the MEMS and for further light direction to the detector. Thanks to the all-reflective design of the conditioning microoptics, the performance is free of chromatic aberration. Complemented by the excellent transmission properties of the silicon in the infrared region, the integrated solution allows very wide spectral range of operation. The reported sensor's spectral resolution is about 33 cm-1 and working in the range of 1270 nm to 2700 nm; upper limited by the extended InGaAs detector. The presented solution provides a low cost, low power, tiny size, wide wavelength range NIR spectral sensor that can be manufactured with extremely high volumes. All these features promise the compatibility of this technology with the forthcoming demand of smart portable and IoT devices.

Development of an Axial Flux MEMS BLDC Micromotor with Increased Efficiency and Power Density

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaofeng Ding

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a rigorous design and optimization of an axial flux microelectromechanical systems (MEMS brushless dc (BLDC micromotor with dual rotor improving both efficiency and power density with an external diameter of only around 10 mm. The stator is made of two layers of windings by MEMS technology. The rotor is developed by film permanent magnets assembled over the rotor yoke. The characteristics of the MEMS micromotor are analyzed and modeled through a 3-D magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC taking the leakage flux and fringing effect into account. Such a model yields a relatively accurate prediction of the flux in the air gap, back electromotive force (EMF and electromagnetic torque, whilst being computationally efficient. Based on 3-D MEC model the multi-objective firefly algorithm (MOFA is developed for the optimal design of this special machine. Both 3-D finite element (FE simulation and experiments are employed to validate the MEC model and MOFA optimization design.

Olhar e memória na percepção cinematográfica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Isabel Rainho Viegas

2010-09-01

Full Text Available O presente artigo tem dois objectivos: por um lado, o de analisar os conceitos de percepçáo e memória no cinema segundo a fenomenologia de Maurice Merleau-Ponty em “Le Cinéma et la Nouvelle Psychologie” e, por outro lado, o de analisar estes mesmos conceitos no filme de Christopher Nolan, Memento. A nossa principal referência será a fenomenologia da percepçáo em Merleau-Ponty de modo a melhor compreendermos o interesse fenomenológico do cinema e deste filme em particular.

Properties of tungsten films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, K.Y.; Ting, C.Y.; Brodsky, S.B.; Fryer, P.M.; Davari, B.; Angillelo, J.; Herd, S.R.; Licata, T.

1986-01-01

High-rate magnetron sputtering is a relatively simple process to produce tungsten films with good electrical and mechanical properties, and it offers good uniformity, reproducibility, process flexibility, and high throughput. The purity of the sputtered films is affected by the target purity (cold-pressed 99.95%, chemical vapor deposited 99.99% and cast 99.999%), base pressure, deposition rate, and substrate bias. Typical resistivity in films of 2000 to 3000A thickness deposited on Si, poly-Si, and SiO/sub 2/ ranges from 10 to 12 μΩ-cm, and this may be compared with 6 and 11 μΩ-cm by high-temperature evaporation and chemical vapor deposition, respectively. The presence of biaxial stress caused by substrate scanning was determined by x-ray technique. The sputtered films exhibit high compressive stress when deposited at low Ar pressure. It decreases with increasing pressure, and eventually changes sign to become tensile, and increases further with increasing pressure. Effects of processing parameters on films properties, and a comparison of film properties prepared by evaporation and chemical vapor deposition are discussed

Thermal properties and stabilities of polymer thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanaya, Toshiji; Kawashima, Kazuko; Inoue, Rintaro; Miyazaki, Tsukasa

2009-01-01

Recent extensive studies have revealed that polymer thin films showed very interesting but unusual thermal properties and stabilities. In the article we show that X-ray reflectivity and neutron reflectivity are very powerful tools to study the anomalous properties of polymer thin films. (author)

Screen-printed piezoceramic thick films for miniaturised devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lou-Moeller, R.; Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Thamdrup, Lasse Højlund

2007-01-01

machining. On the other hand, the process of screen printing thick films involves potential problems of thermal matching and chemical compatibility at the processing temperatures between the functional film, the substrate and the electrodes. As an example of such a miniaturised device, a MEMS accelerometer...

Humor catártico: a abordagem cinematográfica cômica das memórias da última ditadura militar argentina, a partir do filme “Más que un hombre” (2007

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salatiel Ribeiro Gomes

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Desde a queda do último regime militar que assolou a Argentina entre 1976 e 1983, o cinema tem sido posicionado, nos embates que envolvem o par lembrar & esquecer, como um inabdicável instrumento de escuta e de construção das memórias relacionadas à ditadura, afinado às demandas coletivas por justiça e reparação dos abusos empreendidos contra pessoas durante aquele regime. Em tempos recentes, acompanhamos o surgimento de uma cinematografia que promove uma ruptura com o modelo de abordagem até então vigente, na medida em que toma tais memórias como objeto de comicidade, e não mais como produtora de afetos dolorosos. Neste artigo, lançamos mão do filme Más que un hombre (2007 para, a partir de sua análise, compreender o modo como a comédia trabalha as memórias da ditadura, bem como as condições sob as quais surge, e o fazemos com o aporte de noções, acerca do humor e do riso, colhidas de Bergson e Freud.

MEMS Reliability Assurance Activities at JPL

Science.gov (United States)

Kayali, S.; Lawton, R.; Stark, B.

2000-01-01

An overview of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) reliability assurance and qualification activities at JPL is presented along with the a discussion of characterization of MEMS structures implemented on single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, CMOS, and LIGA processes. Additionally, common failure modes and mechanisms affecting MEMS structures, including radiation effects, are discussed. Common reliability and qualification practices contained in the MEMS Reliability Assurance Guideline are also presented.

Microstructure and opto-electric properties of Cu/ITO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xian; Li Junlei; Shi Shiwei; Song Xueping; Cui Jingbiao; Sun Zhaoqi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We prepared Cu/ITO films with different Cu layer thickness. ► We analyzed the relation between opto-electric properties and roughness of the films. ► The Cu-16.1 nm/ITO film shows excellent optical and electric properties. ► Cu/ITO films have great application prospects in new-type transflective displays. - Abstract: Cu/ITO thin films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates by DC and RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. X-ray diffraction results showed that the films were amorphous. Both of SEM images and 3D Profilometer images indicated that the surface morphology of the ITO films had been affected by the Cu layer. The optical and electric properties of the Cu/ITO films changed significantly with the variation of Cu layer thickness. Cu-5.4 nm/ITO film exhibited the highest optical transmittance of 62.9% at 550 nm and the lowest sheet resistance of 96 Ω/□, whereas Cu-16.1 nm/ITO film showed the highest average reflectance of 24.0% and the lowest resistance of 27.4 Ω/□. Based on our analysis, it was evaluated that Cu layer had an important effect on the electrical and optical properties of ITO thin films.

Ultra-thin alumina and silicon nitride MEMS fabricated membranes for the electron multiplication

Science.gov (United States)

Prodanović, V.; Chan, H. W.; Graaf, H. V. D.; Sarro, P. M.

2018-04-01

In this paper we demonstrate the fabrication of large arrays of ultrathin freestanding membranes (tynodes) for application in a timed photon counter (TiPC), a novel photomultiplier for single electron detection. Low pressure chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride (Si x N y ) and atomic layer deposited alumina (Al2O3) with thicknesses down to only 5 nm are employed for the membrane fabrication. Detailed characterization of structural, mechanical and chemical properties of the utilized films is carried out for different process conditions and thicknesses. Furthermore, the performance of the tynodes is investigated in terms of secondary electron emission, a fundamental attribute that determines their applicability in TiPC. Studied features and presented fabrication methods may be of interest for other MEMS application of alumina and silicon nitride as well, in particular where strong ultra-thin membranes are required.

Pyrolyzed thin film carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Yu-Chong (Inventor); Liger, Matthieu (Inventor); Harder, Theodore (Inventor); Konishi, Satoshi (Inventor); Miserendino, Scott (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A method of making carbon thin films comprises depositing a catalyst on a substrate, depositing a hydrocarbon in contact with the catalyst and pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon. A method of controlling a carbon thin film density comprises etching a cavity into a substrate, depositing a hydrocarbon into the cavity, and pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon while in the cavity to form a carbon thin film. Controlling a carbon thin film density is achieved by changing the volume of the cavity. Methods of making carbon containing patterned structures are also provided. Carbon thin films and carbon containing patterned structures can be used in NEMS, MEMS, liquid chromatography, and sensor devices.

Modification of mechanical and thermal property of chitosan–starch blend films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuhin, Mohammad O.; Rahman, Nazia; Haque, M.E.; Khan, Ruhul A.; Dafader, N.C.; Islam, Rafiqul; Nurnabi, Mohammad; Tonny, Wafa

2012-01-01

Chitosan–starch blend films (thickness 0.2 mm) of different composition were prepared by casting and their mechanical properties were studied. To improve the properties of chitosan–starch films, glycerol and mustard oil of different composition were used. Chitosan–starch films, incorporated with glycerol and mustard oil, were further modified with monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using gamma radiation. The modified films showed improvement in both tensile strength and elongation at break than the pure chitosan–starch films. Water uptake of the films reduced significantly than the pure chitosan–starch film. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the modified films experience less thermal degradation than the pure films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR were used to investigate the morphology and molecular interaction of the blend film, respectively. - Highlights: ► Chitosan–starch blend films (thickness 0.2 mm) were prepared by casting. ► To improve the properties of chitosan–starch films, glycerol and mustard oil of different composition were used. ► Chitosan–starch films, incorporated with glycerol and mustard oil, were further modified with monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using gamma radiation. ► Properties of the modified films such as tensile strength, elongation at break, water uptake, TGA, DMA, SEM, FTIR were studied. ► Results indicate that modification of chitosan–starch film with mustard oil improved the properties of the blend films which could be further modified by HEMA using gamma radiation.

Micromachined thin-film sensors for SOI-CMOS co-integration

CERN Document Server

Laconte, Jean; Raskin, Jean-Pierre

2006-01-01

Co-integration of MEMS and MOS in SOI technology is promising and well demonstrated hereThe impact of Micromachining on SOI devices is deeply analyzed for the first timeInclude extensive TMAH etching, residual stress, microheaters, gas-flow sensors reviewResidual stresses in thin films need to be more and more monitored in MEMS designsTMAH micromachining is an attractive alternative to KOH.

Laser-heating wire bonding on MEMS packaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuetao Liu

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Making connections is critical in fabrication of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems. It is also complicated, because the temperature during joining affects both the bond produced and the structure and mechanical properties of the moving parts of the device. Specifications for MEMS packaging require that the temperature not exceed 240 °C. However, usually, temperatures can reach up to 300 °C during conventional thermosonic wire bonding. Such a temperature will change the distribution of dopants in CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor circuits. In this paper we propose a new heating process. A semiconductor laser (wavelength 808 nm is suggested as the thermal source for wire bonding. The thermal field of this setup was analyzed, and specific mathematical models of the field were built. Experimental results show that the heating can be focused on the bonding pad, and that much lower heat conduction occurs, compared with that during the normal heating method. The bond strength increases with increasing laser power. The bond strengths obtained with laser heating are slightly lower than those obtained with the normal heating method, but can still meet the strength requirements for MEMS.

NdFeB thick films prepared by tape casting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawlowski, B.; Schwarzer, S.; Rahmig, A.; Toepfer, J.

2003-01-01

NdFeB films of thickness between 100 and 800 μm were prepared by tape casting of a slurry containing 84-95 wt% of commercial NdFeB powder (MQP-B, -Q and -S). After curing the flexible green tapes at 120 deg. C non-porous magnetic films are obtained. The remanence of the films is in the range of 350-450 mT and the coercivity is between 300 and 800 kA/m depending on the type of MQP powder used. The magnetic properties of the films are discussed in relation to film composition and type of magnetic material. For MEMS applications the thick films are magnetized with a multi-pole stripe pattern with 1 mm pole pitch. The induction at the surface of the films was measured with a Hall probe and compared to theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the films are completely magnetized regardless of the film thickness. Tape-casted NdFeB thick films are promising candidates for applications in micro-systems or actuators. Miniaturization of the magnet components is one of the key issues in the development of electromagnetic micro-systems, thus creating a need for replacement of small sintered magnets by magnetic thick film components. Other applications include encoders

Measurement of the mechanical properties of layered systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blank, E.

2002-01-01

Thin films for integrated electronic circuitry, packaging and small structures in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) as well as protective coatings require mechanical testing to control fabrication processes, guarantee product quality and establish data bases for engineering purposes. They generally escape classical materials testing owing to their small size in at least one dimension and their incorporation into larger structures. The fact that material properties change in the micro- and nanometer range when sample dimensions reach the scale of defect structures, implies that sample and probe size become part of the property evaluation process. Although research into the mechanical behaviour of thin films and small structures now is established, the fundamentals of mechanical testing continue to be identified while there is a growing need for methods allowing to measure intrinsic material properties. This lecture will focus on the mechanics of thin film and small volume structures and review recently developed testing techniques for measuring materials properties, particularly indentation, bulge and bend testing. The effect of specimen and probe geometry on property evaluation will be discussed. The use of Raman spectroscopy for residual stress measurement will be illustrated. (Author)

Optical inspection of hidden MEMS structures

Science.gov (United States)

Krauter, Johann; Gronle, Marc; Osten, Wolfgang

2017-06-01

Micro-electro-mechanical system's (MEMS) applications have greatly expanded over the recent years, and the MEMS industry has grown almost exponentially. One of the strongest drivers are the automotive and consumer markets. A 100% test is necessary especially in the production of automotive MEMS sensors since they are subject to safety relevant functions. This inspection should be carried out before dicing and packaging since more than 90% of the production costs are incurred during these steps. An electrical test is currently being carried out with each MEMS component. In the case of a malfunction, the defect can not be located on the wafer because the MEMS are no longer optically accessible due to the encapsulation. This paper presents a low coherence interferometer for the topography measurement of MEMS structures located within the wafer stack. Here, a high axial and lateral resolution is necessary to identify defects such as stuck or bent MEMS fingers. First, the boundary conditions for an optical inspection system will be discussed. The setup is then shown with some exemplary measurements.

Low-temperature ({<=}200 Degree-Sign C) plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of dense titanium nitride thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samal, Nigamananda; Du Hui; Luberoff, Russell; Chetry, Krishna; Bubber, Randhir; Hayes, Alan; Devasahayam, Adrian [Veeco Instruments, 1 Terminal Drive, Plainview, New York 11803 (United States)

2013-01-15

Titanium nitride (TiN) has been widely used in the semiconductor industry for its diffusion barrier and seed layer properties. However, it has seen limited adoption in other industries in which low temperature (<200 Degree-Sign C) deposition is a requirement. Examples of applications which require low temperature deposition are seed layers for magnetic materials in the data storage (DS) industry and seed and diffusion barrier layers for through-silicon-vias (TSV) in the MEMS industry. This paper describes a low temperature TiN process with appropriate electrical, chemical, and structural properties based on plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition method that is suitable for the DS and MEMS industries. It uses tetrakis-(dimethylamino)-titanium as an organometallic precursor and hydrogen (H{sub 2}) as co-reactant. This process was developed in a Veeco NEXUS Trade-Mark-Sign chemical vapor deposition tool. The tool uses a substrate rf-biased configuration with a grounded gas shower head. In this paper, the complimentary and self-limiting character of this process is demonstrated. The effects of key processing parameters including temperature, pulse time, and plasma power are investigated in terms of growth rate, stress, crystal morphology, chemical, electrical, and optical properties. Stoichiometric thin films with growth rates of 0.4-0.5 A/cycle were achieved. Low electrical resistivity (<300 {mu}{Omega} cm), high mass density (>4 g/cm{sup 3}), low stress (<250 MPa), and >85% step coverage for aspect ratio of 10:1 were realized. Wet chemical etch data show robust chemical stability of the film. The properties of the film have been optimized to satisfy industrial viability as a Ruthenium (Ru) preseed liner in potential data storage and TSV applications.

Glassy carbon MEMS for novel origami-styled 3D integrated intracortical and epicortical neural probes

Science.gov (United States)

Goshi, Noah; Castagnola, Elisa; Vomero, Maria; Gueli, Calogero; Cea, Claudia; Zucchini, Elena; Bjanes, David; Maggiolini, Emma; Moritz, Chet; Kassegne, Sam; Ricci, Davide; Fadiga, Luciano

2018-06-01

We report on a novel technology for microfabricating 3D origami-styled micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) structures with glassy carbon (GC) features and a supporting polymer substrate. GC MEMS devices that open to form 3D microstructures are microfabricated from GC patterns that are made through pyrolysis of polymer precursors on high-temperature resisting substrates like silicon or quartz and then transferring the patterned devices to a flexible substrate like polyimide followed by deposition of an insulation layer. The devices on flexible substrate are then folded into 3D form in an origami-fashion. These 3D MEMS devices have tunable mechanical properties that are achieved by selectively varying the thickness of the polymeric substrate and insulation layers at any desired location. This technology opens new possibilities by enabling microfabrication of a variety of 3D GC MEMS structures suited to applications ranging from biochemical sensing to implantable microelectrode arrays. As a demonstration of the technology, a neural signal recording microelectrode array platform that integrates both surface (cortical) and depth (intracortical) GC microelectrodes onto a single flexible thin-film device is introduced. When the device is unfurled, a pre-shaped shank of polyimide automatically comes off the substrate and forms the penetrating part of the device in a 3D fashion. With the advantage of being highly reproducible and batch-fabricated, the device introduced here allows for simultaneous recording of electrophysiological signals from both the brain surface (electrocorticography—ECoG) and depth (single neuron). Our device, therefore, has the potential to elucidate the roles of underlying neurons on the different components of µECoG signals. For in vivo validation of the design capabilities, the recording sites are coated with a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)—polystyrene sulfonate—carbon nanotube composite, to improve the electrical conductivity of the

In situ TEM/SEM electronic/mechanical characterization of nano material with MEMS chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yuelin; Li Tie; Zhang Xiao; Zeng Hongjiang; Jin Qinhua

2014-01-01

Our investigation of in situ observations on electronic and mechanical properties of nano materials using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM) with the help of traditional micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology has been reviewed. Thanks to the stability, continuity and controllability of the loading force from the electrostatic actuator and the sensitivity of the sensor beam, a MEMS tensile testing chip for accurate tensile testing in the nano scale is obtained. Based on the MEMS chips, the scale effect of Young's modulus in silicon has been studied and confirmed directly in a tensile experiment using a transmission electron microscope. Employing the nanomanipulation technology and FIB technology, Cu and SiC nanowires have been integrated into the tensile testing device and their mechanical, electronic properties under different stress have been achieved, simultaneously. All these will aid in better understanding the nano effects and contribute to the designation and application in nano devices. (invited papers)

Preparation and properties of thin films treatise on materials science and technology

CERN Document Server

Tu, K N

1982-01-01

Treatise on Materials Science and Technology, Volume 24: Preparation and Properties of Thin Films covers the progress made in the preparation of thin films and the corresponding study of their properties. The book discusses the preparation and property correlations in thin film; the variation of microstructure of thin films; and the molecular beam epitaxy of superlattices in thin film. The text also describes the epitaxial growth of silicon structures (thermal-, laser-, and electron-beam-induced); the characterization of grain boundaries in bicrystalline thin films; and the mechanical properti

Characterisation and optical vapour sensing properties of PMMA thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Capan, I. [Balikesir University, Science and Arts Faculty, Physics Department, 10100 Balikesir (Turkey)], E-mail: inci.capan@gmail.com; Tarimci, C. [Ankara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Engineering Physics, 06100, Tandogan, Ankara (Turkey); Hassan, A.K. [Sheffield Hallam University, Materials and Engineering Research Institute, City Campus, Pond Street, Sheffield S1 1WB (United Kingdom); Tanrisever, T. [Balikesir University, Science and Arts Faculty, Chemistry Department, 10100 Balikesir (Turkey)

2009-01-01

The present article reports on the characterisation of spin coated thin films of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) for their use in organic vapour sensing application. Thin film properties of PMMA are studied by UV-visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. Results obtained show that homogeneous thin films with thickness in the range between 6 and 15 nm have been successfully prepared when films were spun at speeds between 1000-5000 rpm. Using SPR technique, the sensing properties of the spun films were studied on exposures to several halohydrocarbons including chloroform, dichloromethane and trichloroethylene. Data from measured kinetic response have been used to evaluate the sensitivity of the studied films to the various analyte molecules in terms of normalised response (%) per unit concentration (ppm). The highest PMMA film sensitivity of 0.067 normalised response per ppm was observed for chloroform vapour, for films spun at 1000 rpm. The high film's sensitivity to chloroform vapour was ascribed mainly to its solubility parameter and molar volume values. Effect of film thickness on the vapour sensing properties is also discussed.

MEMS fluidic actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Kholwadwala, Deepesh K [Albuquerque, NM; Johnston, Gabriel A [Trophy Club, TX; Rohrer, Brandon R [Albuquerque, NM; Galambos, Paul C [Albuquerque, NM; Okandan, Murat [Albuquerque, NM

2007-07-24

The present invention comprises a novel, lightweight, massively parallel device comprising microelectromechanical (MEMS) fluidic actuators, to reconfigure the profile, of a surface. Each microfluidic actuator comprises an independent bladder that can act as both a sensor and an actuator. A MEMS sensor, and a MEMS valve within each microfluidic actuator, operate cooperatively to monitor the fluid within each bladder, and regulate the flow of the fluid entering and exiting each bladder. When adjacently spaced in a array, microfluidic actuators can create arbitrary surface profiles in response to a change in the operating environment of the surface. In an embodiment of the invention, the profile of an airfoil is controlled by independent extension and contraction of a plurality of actuators, that operate to displace a compliant cover.

MEMS cost analysis from laboratory to industry

CERN Document Server

Freng, Ron Lawes

2016-01-01

The World of MEMS; Chapter 2: Basic Fabrication Processes; Chapter 3: Surface Microengineering. High Aspect Ratio Microengineering; Chapter 5: MEMS Testing; Chapter 6: MEMS Packaging. Clean Rooms, Buildings and Plant; Chapter 8: The MEMSCOST Spreadsheet; Chapter 9: Product Costs - Accelerometers. Product Costs - Microphones. MEMS Foundries. Financial Reporting and Analysis. Conclusions.

SU-8 Based MEMS Process with Two Metal Layers using α-Si as a Sacrificial Material

KAUST Repository

Ramadan, Khaled S.

2012-04-01

Polymer based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) micromachining is finding more interest in research and applications. This is due to its low cost and less time processing compared with silicon MEMS. SU-8 is a photo-patternable polymer that is used as a structural layer for MEMS and microfluidic devices. In addition to being processed with low cost, it is a biocompatible material with good mechanical properties. Also, amorphous silicon (α-Si) has found use as a sacrificial layer in silicon MEMS applications. α-Si can be deposited at large thicknesses for MEMS applications and also can be released in a dry method using XeF2 which can solve stiction problems related to MEMS applications. In this thesis, an SU-8 MEMS process is developed using amorphous silicon (α-Si) as a sacrificial layer. Electrostatic actuation and sensing is used in many MEMS applications. SU-8 is a dielectric material which limits its direct use in electrostatic actuation. This thesis provides a MEMS process with two conductive metal electrodes that can be used for out-of-plane electrostatic applications like MEMS switches and variable capacitors. The process provides the fabrication of dimples that can be conductive or non-conductive to facilitate more flexibility for MEMS designers. This SU-8 process can fabricate SU-8 MEMS structures of a single layer of two different thicknesses. Process parameters were tuned for two sets of thicknesses which are thin (5-10μm) and thick (130μm). Chevron bent-beam structures and different suspended beams (cantilevers and bridges) were fabricated to characterize the SU-8 process through extracting the density, Young’s Modulus and the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) of SU-8. Also, the process was tested and used as an educational tool through which different MEMS structures were fabricated including MEMS switches, variable capacitors and thermal actuators.

Three dimensional MEMS supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Wei

2011-10-15

and the specific power of 0.58 mWcm-2 at 20mVs-1 scan rate. The 3D MEMS supercapacitor fabricated in this project has the specific capacitance and the specific power of 0.029 F cm-2 and 2.2 mWcm-2 respectively at a relative large discharge rate of 5 m Acm-2. It is also found vi that the supercapacitors have the performance of broad frequency range up to 300Hz. For DRIE based 3D MEMS supercapacitor, the innovative designs were developed based on silicon micromachining process flow which includes the key processes such as thermal oxidation, RF sputtering, wet etching, DRIE, electroless plating and P Py polymerization. The optimized P Py electrode doping with Tos- performed ideal super capacitor properties in NaCl electrolyte. The single PPy electrode of the 3D MEMS supercapacitors can provide 0.128 F cm-2 specific capacitance and 1.28 mWcm-2 specific power at 20 mvs-1 scan rate. The specific capacitance of the 3D MEMS supercapacitors equals 0.056 F cm-2, and the specific power at 20 mvs-1 scan rate equals 0.56 mWcm-2. In addition, novel supercapacitors based on wafer level process are designed for flexible integration in applications such as high temperature electronics and hybrid power system for electric vehicles. Experimental work on TiO2 anodic oxidation, which enables the fabrication of the one of these designs, has been carried out. Dense TiO2 nano holes with diameters ranged from about 90 to 270 nm were obtained in 0.05 wt% HF aqueous solutions with two-step anodic oxidation method. Comparing to the published specific capacitance (about 2 mFcm-2) for microsupercapacitors [33], I have achieved much larger specific capacitance (typically 0.029 to 0.056 F cm-2) for 3D MEMS supercapacitors. The above results have been presented in 3 international conferences. Total 4 journal articles have been published, and one has been submitted. The article in the Journal of Power Source (appendix 3) has been cited 9 times after published in April 2009, and the article in

MICROSTRUCTURING OF SU-8 RESIST FOR MEMS AND BIO-APPLICATIONS

OpenAIRE

Dey, P.K.; Pramanick, B.; RaviShankar, A.; Ganguly, P.; Das, S.

2017-01-01

Some studies on the fabrication of micro-needles, micro-pillers, and micro-channels using SU-8 negative photoresist for MEMS and bio-applications are reported. The SU-8 processing technology was standardized for the purpose. Micro-pillars were fabricated on SU-8 polymer by soft lithographic technique. Micro-needles were realized on SU-8 film utilizing lensing effect of the etched groove structure of the glass substrate. Micro-channel was fabricated by molding of PDMS polymer on patterned SU-8...

Evolution of microstructure, strain and physical properties in oxide nanocomposite films.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Aiping; Weigand, Marcus; Bi, Zhenxing; Zhang, Wenrui; Lü, Xuejie; Dowden, Paul; MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L; Wang, Haiyan; Jia, Quanxi

2014-06-24

We, using LSMO:ZnO nanocomposite films as a model system, have studied the effect of film thickness on the physical properties of nanocomposites. It shows that strain, microstructure, as well as magnetoresistance strongly rely on film thickness. The magnetotransport properties have been fitted by a modified parallel connection channel model, which is in agreement with the microstructure evolution as a function of film thickness in nanocomposite films on sapphire substrates. The strain analysis indicates that the variation of physical properties in nanocomposite films on LAO is dominated by strain effect. These results confirm the critical role of film thickness on microstructures, strain states, and functionalities. It further shows that one can use film thickness as a key parameter to design nanocomposites with optimum functionalities.

Modeling nonlinearities in MEMS oscillators.

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Deepak K; Woodhouse, Jim; Seshia, Ashwin A

2013-08-01

We present a mathematical model of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) oscillator that integrates the nonlinearities of the MEMS resonator and the oscillator circuitry in a single numerical modeling environment. This is achieved by transforming the conventional nonlinear mechanical model into the electrical domain while simultaneously considering the prominent nonlinearities of the resonator. The proposed nonlinear electrical model is validated by comparing the simulated amplitude-frequency response with measurements on an open-loop electrically addressed flexural silicon MEMS resonator driven to large motional amplitudes. Next, the essential nonlinearities in the oscillator circuit are investigated and a mathematical model of a MEMS oscillator is proposed that integrates the nonlinearities of the resonator. The concept is illustrated for MEMS transimpedance-amplifier- based square-wave and sine-wave oscillators. Closed-form expressions of steady-state output power and output frequency are derived for both oscillator models and compared with experimental and simulation results, with a good match in the predicted trends in all three cases.

Electronic transport properties of nanostructured MnSi-films

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeter, D.; Steinki, N.; Scarioni, A. Fernández; Schumacher, H. W.; Süllow, S.; Menzel, D.

2018-05-01

MnSi, which crystallizes in the cubic B20 structure, shows intriguing magnetic properties involving the existence of skyrmions in the magnetic phase diagram. Bulk MnSi has been intensively investigated and thoroughly characterized, in contrast to MnSi thin film, which exhibits widely varying properties in particular with respect to electronic transport. In this situation, we have set out to reinvestigate the transport properties in MnSi thin films by means of studying nanostructure samples. In particular, Hall geometry nanostructures were produced to determine the intrinsic transport properties.

Characterization of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting MEMS

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

of previously fabricated MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters and use the results to optimize an advanced finite element model to be used in...possibilities of using solar power and the piezoelectric effect to harvest energy [12]. The design goal was to develop an energy harvester with a resonant... The piezoelectric properties of AlN are also relatively constant over a wide range of temperatures [7]. AlN was further characterized

A Teaching - Learning Framework for MEMS Education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheeparamatti, B G; Angadi, S A; Sheeparamatti, R B; Kadadevaramath, J S

2006-01-01

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology has been identified as one of the most promising technologies in the 21st century. MEMS technology has opened up a wide array of unforeseen applications. Hence it is necessary to train the technocrats of tomorrow in this emerging field to meet the industrial/societal demands. The drive behind fostering of MEMS technology is the reduction in the cost, size, weight, and power consumption of the sensors, actuators, and associated electronics. MEMS is a multidisciplinary engineering and basic science area which includes electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, material science and biomedical engineering. Hence MEMS education needs a special approach to prepare the technocrats for a career in MEMS. The modern education methodology using computer based training systems (CBTS) with embedded modeling and simulation tools will help in this direction. The availability of computer based learning resources such as MATLAB, ANSYS/Multiphysics and rapid prototyping tools have contributed to proposition of an efficient teaching-learning framework for MEMS education presented in this paper. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for teaching/learning MEMS in the current technical education scenario

Micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) for mechanical engineers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, A. P., LLNL

1996-11-18

The ongoing advances in Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) are providing man-kind the freedom to travel to dimensional spaces never before conceivable. Advances include new fabrication processes, new materials, tailored modeling tools, new fabrication machines, systems integration, and more detailed studies of physics and surface chemistry as applied to the micro scale. In the ten years since its inauguration, MEMS technology is penetrating industries of automobile, healthcare, biotechnology, sports/entertainment, measurement systems, data storage, photonics/optics, computer, aerospace, precision instruments/robotics, and environment monitoring. It is projected that by the turn of the century, MEMS will impact every individual in the industrial world, totaling sales up to $14 billion (source: System Planning Corp.). MEMS programs in major universities have spawned up all over the United States, preparing the brain-power and expertise for the next wave of MEMS breakthroughs. It should be pointed out that although MEMS has been initiated by electrical engineering researchers through the involvement of IC fabrication techniques, today it has evolved such that it requires a totally multi-disciplinary team to develop useful devices. Mechanical engineers are especially crucial to the success of MEMS development, since 90% of the physical realm involved is mechanical. Mechanical engineers are needed for the design of MEMS, the analysis of the mechanical system, the design of testing apparatus, the implementation of analytical tools, and the packaging process. Every single aspect of mechanical engineering is being utilized in the MEMS field today, however, the impact could be more substantial if more mechanical engineers are involved in the systems level designing. In this paper, an attempt is made to create the pathways for a mechanical engineer to enter in the MEMS field. Examples of application in optics and medical devices will be used to illustrate how mechanical

European MEMS foundries

Science.gov (United States)

Salomon, Patric R.

2003-01-01

According to the latest release of the NEXUS market study, the market for MEMS or Microsystems Technology (MST) is predicted to grow to $68B by the year 2005, with systems containing these components generating even higher revenues and growth. The latest advances in MST/MEMS technology have enabled the design of a new generation of microsystems that are smaller, cheaper, more reliable, and consume less power. These integrated systems bring together numerous analog/mixed signal microelectronics blocks and MEMS functions on a single chip or on two or more chips assembled within an integrated package. In spite of all these advances in technology and manufacturing, a system manufacturer either faces a substantial up-front R&D investment to create his own infrastructure and expertise, or he can use design and foundry services to get the initial product into the marketplace fast and with an affordable investment. Once he has a viable product, he can still think about his own manufacturing efforts and investments to obtain an optimized high volume manufacturing for the specific product. One of the barriers to successful exploitation of MEMS/MST technology has been the lack of access to industrial foundries capable of producing certified microsystems devices in commercial quantities, including packaging and test. This paper discusses Multi-project wafer (MPW) runs, requirements for foundries and gives some examples of foundry business models. Furthermore, this paper will give an overview on MST/MEMS services that are available in Europe, including pure commercial activities, European project activities (e.g. Europractice), and some academic services.

High-frequency properties of superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-oxide thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramakrishnan, E.S.; Su, M.; Howng, W.

1992-01-01

rf and microwave properties of superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x thin films were measured and analyzed using a coplanar resonator structure. The films were developed by sequential electron-beam evaporation of the metals followed by postanneal processing. dc properties of the films were obtained from resistance-temperature and current-voltage measurements to evaluate the transition temperature and current densities. High-frequency properties were measured from 70 to 10 K and in the frequency range 1--3 GHz to determine the film characteristics as compared to pure copper films on the same substrates

MEMS actuators and sensors: observations on their performance and selection for purpose

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, D. J.; Lu, T. J.; Fleck, N. A.; Spearing, S. M.

2005-07-01

This paper presents an exercise in comparing the performance of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators and sensors as a function of operating principle. Data have been obtained from the literature for the mechanical performance characteristics of actuators, force sensors and displacement sensors. On-chip and off-chip actuators and sensors are each sub-grouped into families, classes and members according to their principle of operation. The performance of MEMS sharing common operating principles is compared with each other and with equivalent macroscopic devices. The data are used to construct performance maps showing the capability of existing actuators and sensors in terms of maximum force and displacement capability, resolution and frequency. These can also be used as a preliminary design tool, as shown in a case study on the design of an on-chip tensile test machine for materials in thin-film form.

Structure-property relation in HPMC polymer films plasticized with Sorbitol

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, Y.; Somashekarappa, H.; Mahadevaiah, Somashekar, R.

2013-06-01

A correlation study on physical and mechanical properties of Hydroxy propyl-methylcellulose (HPMC) polymer films plasticized with different weight ratio of Sorbitol, prepared using solution casting method, was carried out using wide angle X-ray technique and universal testing machine. It is found that the crystallanity decreases as the concentration of Sorbitol increases up to a certain concentration and there afterwards increases. Measured Physical Properties like tensile strength decreases and elongation (%) increases indicating increase in the flexibility of the films. These observations confirm the correlation between microstructal parameters and mechanical properties of films. These films are suitable for packaging food products.

PECVD silicon carbide surface micromachining technology and selected MEMS applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rajaraman, V.; Pakula, L.S.; Yang, H.; French, P.J.; Sarro, P.M.

2011-01-01

Attractive material properties of plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited (PECVD) silicon carbide (SiC) when combined with CMOS-compatible low thermal budget processing provides an ideal technology platform for developing various microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices and merging them with

Physical properties of drawn very low density polyethylene films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, B.S. [Yeungnam University, Kyongsan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, J.Y. [Korea Institute of Footwear and Leather Technology, Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

1998-05-01

Very low density polyethylene (VLDPE) films were prepared by quenching the pressed melt in ice water. The films were drawn with universal testing machine under constant temperature at four different temperatures, 30, 60, 80, and 110 {sup o} C. Thermal, mechanical properties, grossity, and gas permeability of the drawn VLDPE films as a function of draw ratio were investigated to examine their applicability to packaging. The films showed tow melting peaks, i.e., low temperature endotherm (LTE) and high temperature endotherm (HTE). The melting temperatures were increased with the draw ratio and the drawing temperature. The mechanical properties of the VLDPE film drawn at 80 {sup o} C were superior to those drawn at 110 {sup o} C. The grossity and gas permeability of the VLDPE film drawn at 110 {sup o} C were found to be best among the drawn films.

A study of semiconducting properties of hydrogen containing passive films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Y.M.; Luo, J.L.; Norton, P.R.

2004-01-01

Mott-Schottky and photoelectrochemical measurements were used to explore the effects of hydrogen and chloride ions on the electronic properties of the passive film on X70 micro-alloyed steel in a solution of 0.5 M NaHCO 3 . Mott-Schottky analyses have shown that hydrogen increases the capacitance and donor density, and decreases the flat band potential and the space charge layer thickness of the passive film. The photocurrent of the film is remarkably increased by hydrogen. The effects of hydrogen become more pronounced with an increase in the hydrogen charging current densities. Hydrogen has no noticeable effect on the band gap energy E g and the process by which hole-electron pairs are photo-generated in the film. The presence of chloride ions in the solution produces some similar effects on the electronic properties of the passive film to those observed with hydrogen, but reduces the photocurrent and increases the band gap energy of the film. No significant synergistic effects on the electronic properties of the passive film were observed in the presence of hydrogen and Cl - . These results provide very useful information for elucidating the mechanism by which hydrogen changes the properties of passive film and then promotes localized corrosion

PZT Thin Film Piezoelectric Traveling Wave Motor

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Dexin; Zhang, Baoan; Yang, Genqing; Jiao, Jiwei; Lu, Jianguo; Wang, Weiyuan

1995-01-01

With the development of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), its various applications are attracting more and more attention. Among MEMS, micro motors, electrostatic and electromagnetic, are the typical and important ones. As an alternative approach, the piezoelectric traveling wave micro motor, based on thin film material and integrated circuit technologies, circumvents many of the drawbacks of the above mentioned two types of motors and displays distinct advantages. In this paper we report on a lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) piezoelectric thin film traveling wave motor. The PZT film with a thickness of 150 micrometers and a diameter of 8 mm was first deposited onto a metal substrate as the stator material. Then, eight sections were patterned to form the stator electrodes. The rotor had an 8 kHz frequency power supply. The rotation speed of the motor is 100 rpm. The relationship of the friction between the stator and the rotor and the structure of the rotor on rotation were also studied.

A Obra Cinematográfica como Formadora de Sentidos: uma análise do filme Memórias de uma Gueixa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dangela Maria Perufo

2010-10-01

Full Text Available O estudo tem como objetivo verificar o papel da Direção de Arte como formadora de sentidos em imagens e sons, dentro do conjunto da produção cinematográfica, analisando dois aspectos: figurino e fotografia, no filme Memórias de uma Gueixa, dirigido por Rob Marshall. Inicia-se o texto tratando de referenciais teóricos que fundamentam a pesquisa, conceituando tópicos como nova linguagem oral, cultura, adaptação de literatura para vídeo, linguagem verbal e não verbal. O artigo também trata de definições dos dois aspectos de direção de arte estudados e características da cultura das gueixas. Em seguida, faz-se a análise de quatro momentos intensos da vida da protagonista. 

Optical properties of CeO 2 thin films

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Cerium oxide (CeO2) thin films have been prepared by electron beam evaporation technique onto glass substrate at a pressure of about 6 × 10-6 Torr. The thickness of CeO2 films ranges from 140–180 nm. The optical properties of cerium oxide films are studied in the wavelength range of 200–850 nm. The film is highly ...

Design of Surface micromachined Compliant MEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bradley, Joe Anthony [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2001-01-01

The consideration of compliant mechanisms as Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) is the focus of this research endeavor. MEMS are micron to millimeter devices that combine electrical, mechanical, and information processing capabilities on the same device. These MEMS need some mechanical motion or parts that move relative to each other. This relative motion, using multiple parts, is not desired because of the assembly requirement and the friction introduced. Compliant devices limits or eliminates friction and the need for multi-component assembly. Compliant devices improve designs by creating single piece mechanisms. The purpose of this research is to validate surface micromachining as a viable fabrication process for compliant MEMS designs. Specifically, this research has sought to fabricate a micro-compliant gripper and a micro-compliant clamp to illustrate the process. While other researchers have created compliant MEMS, most have used comb-drive actuation methods and bulk micromachining processes. This research focuses on fully-compliant devices that use device flexibility for motion and actuation. Validation of these compliant MEMS is achieved by structural optimization of device design and functional performance testing. This research contributes to the ongoing research in MEMS by evaluating the potential of using surface micromachining as a process for fabricating compliant micro-mechanisms.

Design of Surface Micromachined Compliant MEMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bradley, Joe Anthony [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2002-12-31

The consideration of compliant mechanisms as Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) is the focus of this research endeavor. MEMS are micron to millimeter devices that combine electrical, mechanical, and information processing capabilities on the same device. These MEMS need some mechanical motion or parts that move relative to each other. This relative motion, using multiple parts, is not desired because of the assembly requirement and the friction introduced. Compliant devices limits or eliminates friction and the need for multi-component assembly. Compliant devices improve designs by creating single piece mechanisms. The purpose of this research is to validate surface micromachining as a viable fabrication process for compliant MEMS designs. Specifically, this research has sought to fabricate a micro-compliant gripper and a micro-compliant clamp to illustrate the process. While other researchers have created compliant MEMs, most have used comb-drive actuation methods and bulk micromachining processes. This research focused on fully-compliant devices that use device flexibility for motion and actuation. Validation of these compliant MEMS is achieved by structural optimization of device design and functional performance testing. This research contributes to the ongoing research in MEMS by evaluating the potential of using surface micromachining as a process for fabricating compliant micro-mechanisms.

Strain-induced properties of epitaxial VOx thin films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rata, AD; Hibma, T

We have grown VOx thin films on different substrates in order to investigate the influence of epitaxial strain on the transport properties. We found that the electric conductivity is much larger for films grown under compressive strain on SrTiO3 substrates, as compared to bulk material and VOx films

Nanotribological Behavior of Carbon Based Thin Films: Friction and Lubricity Mechanisms at the Nanoscale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Costas A. Charitidis

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The use of materials with very attractive friction and wear properties has raised much attention in research and industrial sectors. A wide range of tribological applications, including rolling and sliding bearings, machining, mechanical seals, biomedical implants and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS, require thin films with high mechanical strength, chemical inertness, broad optical transparency, high refractive index, wide bandgap excellent thermal conductivity and extremely low thermal expansion. Carbon based thin films like diamond, diamond-like carbon, carbon nitride and cubic boron nitride known as “super-hard” material have been studied thoroughly as the ideal candidate for tribological applications. In this study, the results of experimental and simulation works on the nanotribological behavior of carbon films and fundamental mechanisms of friction and lubricity at the nano-scale are reviewed. The study is focused on the nanomechanical properties and analysis of the nanoscratching processes at low loads to obtain quantitative analysis, the comparison obtain quantitative analysis, the comparison of their elastic/plastic deformation response, and nanotribological behavior of the a-C, ta-C, a-C:H, CNx, and a-C:M films. For ta-C and a-C:M films new data are presented and discussed.

Hollow MEMS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Peter Emil

Miniaturization of electro mechanical sensor systems to the micro range and beyond has shown impressive sensitivities measuring sample properties like mass, viscosity, acceleration, pressure and force just to name a few applications. In order to enable these kinds of measurements on liquid samples...... a hollow MEMS sensor has been designed, fabricated and tested. Combined density, viscosity, buoyant mass spectrometry and IR absorption spectroscopy are possible on liquid samples and micron sized suspended particles (e.g. single cells). Measurements are based on changes in the resonant behavior...... of these sensors. Optimization of the microfabrication process has led to a process yield of almost 100% .This is achieved despite the fact, that the process still offers a high degree of flexibility. By simple modifications the Sensor shape can be optimized for different size ranges and sensitivities...

The influence of conditioning film on antifouling properties of the polyurethane film modified by chondroitin sulfate in urine

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Huihui; Qian, Bin; Chen, Huaying; Lan, Minbo

2017-12-01

The encrustation and induced infection severely impact on the therapeutic effectiveness and service life of urinary stents due to the fast formation of conditioning film on urinary stents after implantation. The composition and properties of conditioning film have great influence on antifouling properties of stent materials. In our previous work, we modified polyurethane films by chondroitin sulfate (PU-CS) with different CS grafting densities to verify its anti-fouling properties. To obtain the in-depth understanding of encrustation on urinary stents, we investigated the impact of the composition and properties of conditioning film on the following inorganic salt deposition and bacteria adhesion in urine. The results showed that quantity of proteins and polysaccharides in conditioning films, and the roughness, water contact angle and zeta potential of PU-CSs covered with corresponding conditioning film decreased with the increase of CS grafting density on PU films.PU-CS(3) with highest CS grafting density (3.70 g/cm2) had the highest bacteria inhibition rate and least inorganic salt deposition among the PU-CSs in artificial urine. Moreover, inorganic salts depositing on the PU-CS(3) were less and smaller than those on other films. Bacteria were not detectable until day 21 in real urine. Meanwhile, the pH value was elevated. The results suggested that the component of conditioning films was more important than other surface properties such as hydrophilicity, zeta potential and roughness for inorganic salt deposition and bacteria adhesion. Moreover, the anti-encrustation properties of the surface was promoted by proteins and inhibited by polysaccharides.

Electrostatic MEMS devices with high reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Goldsmith, Charles L; Auciello, Orlando H; Sumant, Anirudha V; Mancini, Derrick C; Gudeman, Chris; Sampath, Suresh; Carlilse, John A; Carpick, Robert W; Hwang, James

2015-02-24

The present invention provides for an electrostatic microelectromechanical (MEMS) device comprising a dielectric layer separating a first conductor and a second conductor. The first conductor is moveable towards the second conductor, when a voltage is applied to the MEMS device. The dielectric layer recovers from dielectric charging failure almost immediately upon removal of the voltage from the MEMS device.

Theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, Vu Van; Phuong, Duong Dai; Hoa, Nguyen Thi; Hieu, Ho Khac

2015-01-01

The thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films with face-centered cubic structure at ambient conditions were investigated using the statistical moment method including the anharmonicity effects of thermal lattice vibrations. The analytical expressions of Helmholtz free energy, lattice parameter, linear thermal expansion coefficient, specific heats at the constant volume and constant pressure were derived in terms of the power moments of the atomic displacements. Numerical calculations of thermodynamic properties have been performed for Au and Al thin films and compared with those of bulk metals. This research proposes that thermodynamic quantities of thin films approach the values of bulk when the thickness of thin film is about 70 nm. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic properties of thin films were investigated using the moment method. • Expressions of Helmholtz energy, expansion coefficient, specific heats were derived. • Calculations for Au, Al thin films were performed and compared with those of bulks

Theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hung, Vu Van [Vietnam Education Publishing House, 81 Tran Hung Dao, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Phuong, Duong Dai [Hanoi National University of Education, 136 Xuan Thuy, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Hoa, Nguyen Thi [University of Transport and Communications, Lang Thuong, Dong Da, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Hieu, Ho Khac, E-mail: hieuhk@duytan.edu.vn [Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, K7/25 Quang Trung, Danang (Viet Nam)

2015-05-29

The thermodynamic properties of metallic thin films with face-centered cubic structure at ambient conditions were investigated using the statistical moment method including the anharmonicity effects of thermal lattice vibrations. The analytical expressions of Helmholtz free energy, lattice parameter, linear thermal expansion coefficient, specific heats at the constant volume and constant pressure were derived in terms of the power moments of the atomic displacements. Numerical calculations of thermodynamic properties have been performed for Au and Al thin films and compared with those of bulk metals. This research proposes that thermodynamic quantities of thin films approach the values of bulk when the thickness of thin film is about 70 nm. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic properties of thin films were investigated using the moment method. • Expressions of Helmholtz energy, expansion coefficient, specific heats were derived. • Calculations for Au, Al thin films were performed and compared with those of bulks.

Influence of ionizing radiation and use of plasticizers on the mechanical properties and barrier properties of biodegradable films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponce, Patricia; Parra, Duclerc F.; Carr, Laura G.; Sato, Juliana S.; Lugao, Ademar B.

2005-01-01

This work reports the influence of radiation and plasticizers on the barrier properties [water vapour permeability (WVP)] and mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation) of edible films made of starch. These films were prepared with 4 g of starch/100 mL of water; 2-10 g polyethylene glycol (PEG)/100 g starch; and at natural pH. Tensile strength and percentage elongation were measured using a Mechanical Universal Testing Machine Instron 4400R and the water vapour permeability was determined according to ASTM E96-80 (ASTM, 1989). The mechanical properties of starch films are influenced by the plasticizer concentration. An increase in PEG content showed a considerable increase in elongation percentage and a decrease in the tensile strength of the films, also increase the permeability of the films in water. After irradiation, the barrier properties [water vapour permeability (WVP)] and mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation) of the films were improved due to chemical reactions among polymer molecules. The films were irradiated at room temperature with gamma radiation. Irradiated starch cassava films with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticizer have good flexibility and low water permeability, which indicate potential application as edible films (author)

Physical Properties and Antibacterial Efficacy of Biodegradable Chitosan Films

OpenAIRE

中島, 照夫

2009-01-01

[Synopsis] Chitin, chitosan and quaternary chitosan films were prepared, and the physical properties and the antibacterial activities of chitosan and quaternary chitosan films were evaluated. The tensile strength of chitin films was 30～40％ lower than that of chitosan films, but the crystallinity of chitin film was much higher than that of chitosan films. The crystallinity and orientation of crystallites were hardly affected by the four kinds of solvent chosen to cast chitosan films, but a de...

Tribo-functionalizing Si and SU8 materials by surface modification for application in MEMS/NEMS actuator-based devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, R A; Satyanarayana, N; Sinha, S K; Kustandi, T S

2011-01-01

Micro/nano-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS/NEMS) are miniaturized devices built at micro/nanoscales. At these scales, the surface/interfacial forces are extremely strong and they adversely affect the smooth operation and the useful operating lifetimes of such devices. When these forces manifest in severe forms, they lead to material removal and thereby reduce the wear durability of the devices. In this paper, we present a simple, yet robust, two-step surface modification method to significantly enhance the tribological performance of MEMS/NEMS materials. The two-step method involves oxygen plasma treatment of polymeric films and the application of a nanolubricant, namely perfluoropolyether. We apply the two-step method to the two most important MEMS/NEMS structural materials, namely silicon and SU8 polymer. On applying surface modification to these materials, their initial coefficient of friction reduces by ∼4-7 times and the steady-state coefficient of friction reduces by ∼2.5-3.5 times. Simultaneously, the wear durability of both the materials increases by >1000 times. The two-step method is time effective as each of the steps takes the time duration of approximately 1 min. It is also cost effective as the oxygen plasma treatment is a part of the MEMS/NEMS fabrication process. The two-step method can be readily and easily integrated into MEMS/NEMS fabrication processes. It is anticipated that this method will work for any kind of structural material from which MEMS/NEMS are or can be made.

Tribo-functionalizing Si and SU8 materials by surface modification for application in MEMS/NEMS actuator-based devices

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, R. A.; Satyanarayana, N.; Kustandi, T. S.; Sinha, S. K.

2011-01-01

Micro/nano-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS/NEMS) are miniaturized devices built at micro/nanoscales. At these scales, the surface/interfacial forces are extremely strong and they adversely affect the smooth operation and the useful operating lifetimes of such devices. When these forces manifest in severe forms, they lead to material removal and thereby reduce the wear durability of the devices. In this paper, we present a simple, yet robust, two-step surface modification method to significantly enhance the tribological performance of MEMS/NEMS materials. The two-step method involves oxygen plasma treatment of polymeric films and the application of a nanolubricant, namely perfluoropolyether. We apply the two-step method to the two most important MEMS/NEMS structural materials, namely silicon and SU8 polymer. On applying surface modification to these materials, their initial coefficient of friction reduces by ~4-7 times and the steady-state coefficient of friction reduces by ~2.5-3.5 times. Simultaneously, the wear durability of both the materials increases by >1000 times. The two-step method is time effective as each of the steps takes the time duration of approximately 1 min. It is also cost effective as the oxygen plasma treatment is a part of the MEMS/NEMS fabrication process. The two-step method can be readily and easily integrated into MEMS/NEMS fabrication processes. It is anticipated that this method will work for any kind of structural material from which MEMS/NEMS are or can be made.

Electrochromic properties of nanocrystalline MoO3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, C.-S.; Chan, C.-C.; Huang, H.-T.; Peng, C.-H.; Hsu, W.-C.

2008-01-01

Electrochromic MoO 3 thin films were prepared by a sol-gel spin-coating technique. The spin-coated films were initially amorphous; they were calcined, producing nanocrystalline MoO 3 thin films. The effects of annealing temperatures ranging from 100 o C to 500 o C were investigated. The electrochemical and electrochromic properties of the films were measured by cyclic voltammetry and by in-situ optical transmittance techniques in 1 M LiClO 4 /propylene carbonate electrolyte. Experimental results showed that the transmittance of MoO 3 thin films heat-treated at 350 o C varied from 80% to 35% at λ = 550 nm (ΔT = ∼ 45%) and from 86% to 21% at λ ≥ 700 nm (ΔT = ∼ 65%) after coloration. Films heat-treated at 350 deg. C exhibited the best electrochromic properties in the present study

Integrated design of MEMS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Grave, Arnaud; Brissaud, Daniel

2007-01-01

Emerging technologies of Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) are applications such as airbag accelerometers. Micro-products present many physical differences from macro-products. Moreover, there is a high level of integration in multiple fields of physics with strongly coupled effects...... industrial immersion to propose a socio-technological description of the design process and MEMS design tools....

Bayesian inference of substrate properties from film behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aggarwal, R; Demkowicz, M J; Marzouk, Y M

2015-01-01

We demonstrate that by observing the behavior of a film deposited on a substrate, certain features of the substrate may be inferred with quantified uncertainty using Bayesian methods. We carry out this demonstration on an illustrative film/substrate model where the substrate is a Gaussian random field and the film is a two-component mixture that obeys the Cahn–Hilliard equation. We construct a stochastic reduced order model to describe the film/substrate interaction and use it to infer substrate properties from film behavior. This quantitative inference strategy may be adapted to other film/substrate systems. (paper)

Effect of micro-patterned fluorine-doped tin oxide films on electrochromic properties of Prussian blue films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyuha; Kim, A-Young; Park, Ji Hun; Jung, Hun-Gi; Choi, Wonchang; Lee, Hwa Young; Lee, Joong Kee

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • PB-based ECD employed micro-patterned FTO electrode was fabricated. • Effect of interface morphology on electrochromic characteristics was examined. • Electrochromic properties were enhanced by employing a patterned interface. - Abstract: The effect of interface morphology on electrochromic characteristics was examined for an electrochromic device (ECD). Micro-patterned fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) films were fabricated using a photolithography process. Prussian blue (PB) films were then deposited on the patterned FTO films. The surface areas of both PB films and FTO films were increased by patterning. ECDs were assembled using patterned PB/FTO films as the electrochromic electrode, bare FTO films as the counter electrode, and an electrolyte containing LiClO 4 salt. The increased effective surface area of the patterned PB/FTO electrode boosted the mobility of ions at the interphase between the electrolyte and PB electrode, and the electron transfer between PB films and FTO films. As a result, electrochromic properties such as transmittance and response time were significantly improved by employing the patterned FTO films as the transparent conductive oxide layer of the electrochromic electrode

Piezoelectric MEMS resonators

CERN Document Server

Piazza, Gianluca

2017-01-01

This book introduces piezoelectric microelectromechanical (pMEMS) resonators to a broad audience by reviewing design techniques including use of finite element modeling, testing and qualification of resonators, and fabrication and large scale manufacturing techniques to help inspire future research and entrepreneurial activities in pMEMS. The authors discuss the most exciting developments in the area of materials and devices for the making of piezoelectric MEMS resonators, and offer direct examples of the technical challenges that need to be overcome in order to commercialize these types of devices. Some of the topics covered include: Widely-used piezoelectric materials, as well as materials in which there is emerging interest Principle of operation and design approaches for the making of flexural, contour-mode, thickness-mode, and shear-mode piezoelectric resonators, and examples of practical implementation of these devices Large scale manufacturing approaches, with a focus on the practical aspects associate...

Magnetostrictive properties of polycrystalline iron cobalt films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooke, M.D.

2000-10-01

This thesis is concerned with the magnetic properties of magnetostrictive FeCo polycrystalline alloy films produced by RF magnetron sputter deposition. The bulk material is known to have highly magnetostrictive properties, coupled with the possibility of a low anisotropy with the correct thermal treatment to allow ordering. Significant reduction in the anisotropy was found by using post depostional thermal treatment in Ar/H. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to produce FeCo films with magnetostrictive properties similar to those found in the bulk. Detailed examination showed an increased peak in the magnetostriction with composition which had not been previously viewed in the bulk materials. Initial development was also made of a novel co-depositional technique to allow magnetostrictive determination as a function of composition in a single deposition. Development was made of a technique using the Daresbury Synchrotron research facility and the XRD equipment to allow determination of the magnetostriction coefficients of polycrystalline films. This is the first time this has been achieved for thin film materials and provides exciting new possibilities for the future. A critique was made of the optical cantilever technique for determining magnetostriction. Clear consideration has to be made of rotational and frequency effects. A new analytical theory was devised which allowing determination of the cantilever deflection for similar substrate and film thickness. This is essential for development of current trends in nanotechnology. The results were then optimised for use in sensor and actuator devices providing novel results. Finally investigation was made of the possible effects of surfaces on the magnetic properties. The magnetostriction of FeCo/Ag multilayers and Ag embedded in an FeCo matrix are compared. These clearly show the influence of surface and illustrate the importance of considering the technique used to determine the magnetostriction. (author)

Sensitometric properties and image quality of radiographic film and paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domanus, J.C.

1985-09-01

When using X-ray film or radiographic paper for industrial applications one is interested in knowing not only their sensitometric properties (such as speed and contrast) but also the image quality obtainable with a particular brand of film or paper. Although standard methods for testing both properties separately are available it is desirable that the method permits the assessment of all the relevant properties together. The sensitometric properties are usually determined at constant kilovoltage and filtration at the X-ray tube, whereas radiographic image thicknesses. The use of the constant exposure technique could be used to compare both the sensitometric properties as well as the image quality for different radiographic materials. It consist of exposing different film or paper brands at a chosen, constant mAmin exposure when testing radiographic image quality for different thicknesses of a given material. From the results obtained with the constant exposure technique conclusions are drawn about its applicability as a standard method for assessing radiographic film and paper. (author)

Hydrogen retention properties of lithium film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanaya, Koh; Yamauchi, Yuji; Hirohata, Yuko; Hino, Tomoaki; Mori, Kintaro

1998-01-01

Hydrogen retention properties of Li films and lithium oxide-lithium hydroxide (Li 2 O-LiOH) mixed films were investigated by two methods, hydrogen ion irradiation and hydrogen glow discharge. In a case of the hydrogen ion irradiation, thermal desorption spectrum of hydrogen retained in Li 2 O-LiOH film had two desorption peaks at around 470 K and 570 K. The ratio between retained hydrogen and Li atom was about 0.7. In a case of the hydrogen glow discharge, the hydrogen was also gettered in Li film during the discharge. The ratio of H/Li was almost 0.9. Most of gettered hydrogen desorbed by a baking with a temperature of 370 K. On the contrary, when the Li film exposed to the atmosphere was irradiated by the hydrogen plasma, the desorption of H 2 O was observed in addition to the adsorption of H 2 . (author)

Electrical properties of tungsten trioxide films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Z.; Vetelino, J.F.; Lec, R.; Parker, D.C.

1990-01-01

Selectively doped semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) films have been shown to have applications as the sensing element in gas microsensors. Critical to the design and operation of these sensors is the SMO film. In the present work, the electrical properties of both intrinsic and extrinsic (doped with gold) tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ) films, which selectively sorb hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), are investigated. Hall effect measurements are performed as a function of film thickness, temperature, gold-doping concentration, and H 2 S gas concentration. The conductivity was found to be n type and strongly dependent on temperature, gold doping concentration, and H 2 S gas concentration and less dependent on film thickness. The mobility was relatively high while the intrinsic carrier concentration was low when compared to typical semiconductor materials. The conductivity was shown to exhibit anomalous behavior at certain temperatures and H 2 S gas concentrations

Nonlinear Parameter Identification of a Resonant Electrostatic MEMS Actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Ghamdi, Majed S.; Alneamy, Ayman M.; Park, Sangtak; Li, Beichen; Khater, Mahmoud E.; Abdel-Rahman, Eihab M.; Heppler, Glenn R.; Yavuz, Mustafa

2017-01-01

We experimentally investigate the primary superharmonic of order two and subharmonic of order one-half resonances of an electrostatic MEMS actuator under direct excitation. We identify the parameters of a one degree of freedom (1-DOF) generalized Duffing oscillator model representing it. The experiments were conducted in soft vacuum to reduce squeeze-film damping, and the actuator response was measured optically using a laser vibrometer. The predictions of the identified model were found to be in close agreement with the experimental results. We also identified the noise spectral density of process (actuation voltage) and measurement noise. PMID:28505097

Adhesion aspects in MEMS/NEMS

CERN Document Server

Kim, Seong H; Mittal, Kash L

2012-01-01

Phenomena associated with the adhesion interaction of surfaces have been a critical aspect of micro- and nanosystem development and performance since the first MicroElectroMechanicalSystems(MEMS) were fabricated. These phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and are present in all systems, however MEMS devices are particularly sensitive to their effects owing to their small size and limited actuation force that can be generated. Extension of MEMS technology concepts to the nanoscale and development of NanoElectroMechanicalSystems(NEMS) will result in systems even more strongly influenced by surface

Practical guide to RF-MEMS

CERN Document Server

Iannacci, Jacopo

2013-01-01

Closes the gap between hardcore-theoretical and purely experimental RF-MEMS books. The book covers, from a practical viewpoint, the most critical steps that have to be taken in order to develop novel RF-MEMS device concepts. Prototypical RF-MEMS devices, both including lumped components and complex networks, are presented at the beginning of the book as reference examples, and these are then discussed from different perspectives with regard to design, simulation, packaging, testing, and post-fabrication modeling. Theoretical concepts are introduced when necessary to complement the practical

A six degrees of freedom mems manipulator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, B.R.

2006-01-01

This thesis reports about a six degrees of freedom (DOF) precision manipulator in MEMS, concerning concept generation for the manipulator followed by design and fabrication (of parts) of the proposed manipulation concept in MEMS. Researching the abilities of 6 DOF precision manipulation in MEMS is

Properties of conductive thick-film inks

Science.gov (United States)

Holtze, R. F.

1972-01-01

Ten different conductive inks used in the fabrication of thick-film circuits were evaluated for their physical and handling properties. Viscosity, solid contents, and spectrographic analysis of the unfired inks were determined. Inks were screened on ceramic substrates and fired for varying times at specified temperatures. Selected substrates were given additional firings to simulate the heat exposure received if thick-film resistors were to be added to the same substrate. Data are presented covering the (1) printing characteristics, (2) solderability using Sn-63 and also a 4 percent silver solder, (3) leach resistance, (4) solder adhesion, and (5) wire bonding properties. Results obtained using different firing schedules were compared. A comparison was made between the various inks showing general results obtained for each ink. The changes in firing time or the application of a simulated resistor firing had little effect on the properties of most inks.

Carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) based microsupercapacitors

KAUST Repository

Agrawal, Richa

2015-05-18

The rapid development in miniaturized electronic devices has led to an ever increasing demand for high-performance rechargeable micropower scources. Microsupercapacitors in particular have gained much attention in recent years owing to their ability to provide high pulse power while maintaining long cycle lives. Carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) is a powerful approach to fabricate high aspect ratio carbon microelectrode arrays, which has been proved to hold great promise as a platform for energy storage. C-MEMS is a versatile technique to create carbon structures by pyrolyzing a patterned photoresist. Furthermore, different active materials can be loaded onto these microelectrode platforms for further enhancement of the electrochemical performance of the C-MEMS platform. In this article, different techniques and methods in order to enhance C-MEMS based various electrochemical capacitor systems have been discussed, including electrochemical activation of C-MEMS structures for miniaturized supercapacitor applications, integration of carbon nanostructures like carbon nanotubes onto C-MEMS structures and also integration of pseudocapacitive materials such as polypyrrole onto C-MEMS structures. © (2015) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) based microsupercapacitors

KAUST Repository

Agrawal, Richa; Beidaghi, Majid; Chen, Wei; Wang, Chunlei

2015-01-01

The rapid development in miniaturized electronic devices has led to an ever increasing demand for high-performance rechargeable micropower scources. Microsupercapacitors in particular have gained much attention in recent years owing to their ability to provide high pulse power while maintaining long cycle lives. Carbon microelectromechanical systems (C-MEMS) is a powerful approach to fabricate high aspect ratio carbon microelectrode arrays, which has been proved to hold great promise as a platform for energy storage. C-MEMS is a versatile technique to create carbon structures by pyrolyzing a patterned photoresist. Furthermore, different active materials can be loaded onto these microelectrode platforms for further enhancement of the electrochemical performance of the C-MEMS platform. In this article, different techniques and methods in order to enhance C-MEMS based various electrochemical capacitor systems have been discussed, including electrochemical activation of C-MEMS structures for miniaturized supercapacitor applications, integration of carbon nanostructures like carbon nanotubes onto C-MEMS structures and also integration of pseudocapacitive materials such as polypyrrole onto C-MEMS structures. © (2015) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Giant magnetoimpedance effect in sputtered single layered NiFe film and meander NiFe/Cu/NiFe film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, L.; Zhou, Y.; Lei, C.; Zhou, Z.M.; Ding, W.

2010-01-01

Giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect on NiFe thin film is very promising due to its application in developing the magnetic field sensors with highly sensitivity and low cost. In this paper, the single layered NiFe thin film and NiFe/Cu/NiFe thin film with a meander structure are prepared by the MEMS technology. The influences of sputtering parameters, film structure and conductor layer width on GMI effect in NiFe single layer and meander NiFe/Cu/NiFe film are investigated. Maximum of the GMI ratio in single layer and sandwich film is 5% and 64%, respectively. The results obtained are useful for developing the high-performance magnetic sensors based on NiFe thin film.

Modification of mechanical and thermal property of chitosan-starch blend films

Science.gov (United States)

Tuhin, Mohammad O.; Rahman, Nazia; Haque, M. E.; Khan, Ruhul A.; Dafader, N. C.; Islam, Rafiqul; Nurnabi, Mohammad; Tonny, Wafa

2012-10-01

Chitosan-starch blend films (thickness 0.2 mm) of different composition were prepared by casting and their mechanical properties were studied. To improve the properties of chitosan-starch films, glycerol and mustard oil of different composition were used. Chitosan-starch films, incorporated with glycerol and mustard oil, were further modified with monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using gamma radiation. The modified films showed improvement in both tensile strength and elongation at break than the pure chitosan-starch films. Water uptake of the films reduced significantly than the pure chitosan-starch film. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the modified films experience less thermal degradation than the pure films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR were used to investigate the morphology and molecular interaction of the blend film, respectively.

Raman spectroscopy of optical properties in CdS thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trajić J.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Properties of CdS thin films were investigated applying atomic force microscopy (AFM and Raman spectroscopy. CdS thin films were prepared by using thermal evaporation technique under base pressure 2 x 10-5 torr. The quality of these films was investigated by AFM spectroscopy. We apply Raman scattering to investigate optical properties of CdS thin films, and reveal existence of surface optical phonon (SOP mode at 297 cm-1. Effective permittivity of mixture were modeled by Maxwell - Garnet approximation. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 45003

High-frequency Lamb wave device composed of MEMS structure using LiNbO3 thin film and air gap.

Science.gov (United States)

Kadota, Michio; Ogami, Takashi; Yamamoto, Kansho; Tochishita, Hikari; Negoro, Yasuhiro

2010-11-01

High-frequency devices operating at 3 GHz or higher are required, for instance, for future 4th generation mobile phone systems in Japan. Using a substrate with a high acoustic velocity is one method to realize a high-frequency acoustic or elastic device. A Lamb wave has a high velocity when the substrate thickness is thin. To realize a high-frequency device operating at 3 GHz or higher using a Lamb wave, a very thin (less than 0.5 μm thick) single-crystal plate must be used. It is difficult to fabricate such a very thin single crystal plate. The authors have attempted to use a c-axis orientated epitaxial LiNbO(3) thin film deposited by a chemical vapor deposition system (CVD) instead of using a thin LiNbO(3) single crystal plate. Lamb wave resonators composed of a interdigital transducer (IDT)/the LiNbO(3) film/air gap/base substrate structure like micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) transducers were fabricated. These resonators have shown a high frequency of 4.5 and 6.3 GHz, which correspond to very high acoustic velocities of 14,000 and 12,500 m/s, respectively, have excellent characteristics such as a ratio of resonant and antiresonant impedance of 52 and 38 dB and a wide band of 7.2% and 3.7%, respectively, and do not have spurious responses caused by the 0th modes of shear horizontal (SH(0)) and symmetric (S(0)) modes.

Elasticity, biodegradability and cell adhesive properties of chitosan/hyaluronan multilayer films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Aurore; Richert, Ludovic; Francius, Gregory; Voegel, Jean-Claude; Picart, Catherine [Present address: Universite de Montpellier II, CNRS-UMR 5539, cc107, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34 095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France)

2007-03-01

In the bioengineering field, a recent and promising approach to modifying biomaterial surfaces is the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique used to build thin polyelectrolyte multilayer films. In this work, we focused on polyelectrolyte multilayer films made of two polysaccharides, chitosan (CHI) and hyaluronan (HA), and on the control of their physico-chemical and cell adhesive properties by chemical cross-linking. CHI/HA films were cross-linked using a water soluble carbodiimide and observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) with a fluorescently labeled CHI. Film thicknesses were similar for native and cross-linked films. The film nanometer roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy and was found to be higher for cross-linked films. Cross-linking the films also leads to a drastic change in film stiffness. The elastic modulus of the films (Young's modulus) as measured by AFM nano-indentation was about tenfold increased for cross-linked films as compared to native ones. From a biological point of view, cross-liked films are more resistant to enzymatic degradation by hyaluronidase. Furthermore, the increase in film stiffness has a favorable effect on the adhesion and spreading of chondrosarcoma cells. Thus, the CHI/HA cross-linked films could be used for various applications due to their adhesive properties and to their mechanical properties (including stability in enzymatic media)

Modification of thin film properties by ion bombardment during deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harper, J.M.E.; Cuomo, J.J.; Gambino, R.J.; Kaufman, H.R.

1984-01-01

Many thin film deposition techniques involve some form of energetic particle bombardment of the growing film. The degree of bombardment greatly influences the film composition, structure and other properties. While in some techniques the degree of bombardment is secondary to the original process design, in recent years more deposition systems are being designed with the capability for controlled ion bombardment of thin films during deposition. The highest degree of control is obtained with ion beam sources which operate independently of the vapor source providing the thin film material. Other plasma techniques offer varying degrees of control of energetic particle bombardment. Deposition methods involving ion bombardment are described, and the basic processes with which film properties are modified by ion bombardment are summarized. (Auth.)

Miniaturized GPS/MEMS IMU integrated board

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ching-Fang (Inventor)

2012-01-01

This invention documents the efforts on the research and development of a miniaturized GPS/MEMS IMU integrated navigation system. A miniaturized GPS/MEMS IMU integrated navigation system is presented; Laser Dynamic Range Imager (LDRI) based alignment algorithm for space applications is discussed. Two navigation cameras are also included to measure the range and range rate which can be integrated into the GPS/MEMS IMU system to enhance the navigation solution.

Going Fabless with MEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhaskar CHOUBEY

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The Microelectromechanical sensors are finding increasing applications in everyday life. However, each MEMS sensor is generally fabricated on its own individual process. This leads to high cost per sensor. It has been suggested the MEMS should and would follow the path of integrated circuits industry, wherein fabless firms could concentrate on design leading pure-foundries to perfect the manufacturing process. With several designs being manufactured on the same process, the installation cost of fabrication would be evenly shared. Simultaneously, multiple project wafer runs are being offered for MEMS processes to encourage design activity in universities as well as startups. This paper reviews the present state of this transition through an experience of designing and manufacturing microelectromechanical resonators on different processes.

Dewetting of thin films on flexible substrates via direct-write laser exposure

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrer, Anthony Jesus

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have enabled a wide variety of technologies both in the consumer space and in industrial/research areas. At the market level, such devices advance by the invention and innovation of production techniques. Additionally, there has been increased demand for flexible versions of such MEMS devices. Thin film patterning, represents a key technology for the realization of such flexible electronics. Patterns and methods that can be directly written into the thin film allow for design modification on the fly with the need for harsh chemicals and long etching steps. Laser-induced dewetting has the potential to create patterns in thin films at both the microscopic and nanoscopic level without wasting deposited material. This thesis presents the first demonstration of high-speed direct-write patterning of metallic thin films that uses a laser-induced dewetting phenomenon to prevent material loss. The ability to build film material with this technique is explored using various scanning geometries. Finally, demonstrations of direct-write dewetting of a variety of thin films will be presented with special consideration for high melting point metals deposited upon polymer substrates.

Properties of non-stoichiometric nitrogen doped LPCVD silicon thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mansour, F.; Mahamdi, R. [Departement d' Electronique, Universite Mentouri, Constantine (Algeria); Beghoul, M.R. [Departement d' Electronique, Universite de Jijel (Algeria); Temple-Boyer, P. [CNRS, LAAS, Toulouse (France); Universite de Toulouse, UPS, INSA, INP, ISAE, LAAS, Toulouse (France); Bouridah, H.

2010-02-15

The influence of nitrogen on the internal structure and so on the electrical properties of silicon thin films obtained by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) was studied using several investigation methods. We found by using Raman spectroscopy and SEM observations that a strong relationship exists between the structural order of the silicon matrix and the nitrogen ratio in film before and after thermal treatment. As a result of the high disorder caused by nitrogen on silicon network during the deposit phase of films, the crystallization phenomena in term of nucleation and crystalline growth were found to depend upon the nitrogen content. Resistivity measurements results show that electrical properties of NIDOS films depend significantly on structural properties. It was appeared that for high nitrogen content, the films tend to acquire an insulator behavior. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Fast tunable blazed MEMS grating for external cavity lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Tormen, Maurizio; Niedermann, Philippe; Hoogerwerf, Arno; Shea, Herbert; Stanley, Ross

2017-11-01

Diffractive MEMS are interesting for a wide range of applications, including displays, scanners or switching elements. Their advantages are compactness, potentially high actuation speed and in the ability to deflect light at large angles. We have designed and fabricated deformable diffractive MEMS grating to be used as tuning elements for external cavity lasers. The resulting device is compact, has wide tunability and a high operating speed. The initial design is a planar grating where the beams are free-standing and attached to each other using leaf springs. Actuation is achieved through two electrostatic comb drives at either end of the grating. To prevent deformation of the free-standing grating, the device is 10 μm thick made from a Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafer in a single mask process. At 100V a periodicity tuning of 3% has been measured. The first resonant mode of the grating is measured at 13.8 kHz, allowing high speed actuation. This combination of wide tunability and high operating speed represents state of the art in the domain of tunable MEMS filters. In order to improve diffraction efficiency and to expand the usable wavelength range, a blazed version of the deformable MEMS grating has been designed. A key issue is maintaining the mechanical properties of the original device while providing optically smooth blazed beams. Using a process based on anisotropic KOH etching, blazed gratings have been obtained and preliminary characterization is promising.

Structured synthesis of MEMS using evolutionary approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fan, Zhun; Wang, Jiachuan; Achiche, Sofiane

2008-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the hierarchy that is involved in a typical MEMS design and how evolutionary approaches can be used to automate the hierarchical synthesis process for MEMS. The paper first introduces the flow of a structured MEMS design process and emphasizes that system-level lumped...

Design of a Bionic Cilia MEMS three-dimensional vibration sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhen; Zhang Guojun; Xue Chenyang; Wu Shujuan

2013-01-01

A biomimetic three-dimensional piezoresistive vibration sensor based on MEMS technology is reported. The mechanical properties of the sensor are analyzed and the static and dynamic characteristics of the sensor are simulated by ANSYS Workbench 12.0. The structure was made by MEMS processes including lithography, ion implantation, PECVD, etching, etc. Finally, the sensor is tested by using a TV5220 sensor auto calibration system. The results show that the lowest sensitivity of the sensor is 394.7 μV/g and can reach up to 460.2 μV/g, and the dimension coupling is less than 0.6152%, and the working frequency range is 0–1000 Hz. (semiconductor devices)

ZnO film deposition by DC magnetron sputtering: Effect of target configuration on the film properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arakelova, E.; Khachatryan, A.; Kteyan, A.; Avjyan, K.; Grigoryan, S.

2016-08-01

Ballistic transport model for target-to-substrate atom transfer during magnetron sputter deposition was used to develop zinc target (cathode) configuration that enabled growth of uniform zinc oxide films on extensive surfaces and provided reproducibility of films characteristics irrespective of the cathode wear-out. The advantage of the developed target configuration for high-quality ZnO film deposition was observed in the sputtering pressure range of 5− 50 mTorr, and in the range of cathode-to-substrate distances 7–20 cm. Characteristics of the deposited films were demonstrated by using X-ray diffraction analysis, as well as optical and electrical measurements. - Highlights: • Change of target configuration for optimization of magnetron sputtering deposition is proposed. • Improvement of ZnO film properties due to use of this target is demonstrated. • This configuration provided reproducibility of the deposited films properties.

Annealing induced structural evolution and electrochromic properties of nanostructured tungsten oxide films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Ching-Lin [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China); Lin, Chung-Kwei [School of Dental Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City 110, Taiwan, ROC (China); Wang, Chun-Kai [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China); Wang, Sheng-Chang [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University, Tainan 710, Taiwan, ROC (China); Huang, Jow-Lay, E-mail: JLH888@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China); Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 81148, Taiwan, ROC (China); Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China)

2013-12-31

The effect of microstructure on the optical and electrochemical properties of nanostructured tungsten oxide films was evaluated as a function of annealing temperature. The films using block copolymer as the template were prepared from peroxotungstic acid (PTA) by spin-coating onto the substrate and post-annealed at 250–400 °C to form tungsten oxide films with nanostructure. The microstructure of the films was measured by X-ray diffraction and surface electron microscopy. The films annealed at temperatures below 300 °C are characterized by amorphous or nanocrystalline structures with a pore size of less than 10 nm. The evaluated annealing temperature caused a triclinic crystalline structure and microcracks. Cyclic voltammetry measurements were performed in a LiClO{sub 4}-propylene carbonate electrolyte. The results showed that the ion inserted capacity were maximized for films annealed at 300 °C and decreased with the increasing of annealing temperature. The electrochromic properties of the nanostructured tungsten oxide films were evaluated simultaneously by potentiostat and UV–vis spectroscopy. The films annealed at 300 °C exhibit high transmission modulation (∆T ∼ 40%) at λ = 633 nm and good kinetic properties. As a result, the correlation between the microstructure and kinetic properties was established, and the electrochromic properties have been demonstrated. - Highlights: • Surfactant-assisted WO{sub 3} films have been prepared by sol–gel method. • Nanostructure of porous WO{sub 3} film is retained after crystallization. • Kinetic properties of WO{sub 3} can be improved by nanostructure and crystallinity.

Effect of micro-patterned fluorine-doped tin oxide films on electrochromic properties of Prussian blue films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kyuha [Center for Energy Convergence Research, Green City Technology Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, A-Young [Center for Energy Convergence Research, Green City Technology Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Ji Hun; Jung, Hun-Gi; Choi, Wonchang; Lee, Hwa Young [Center for Energy Convergence Research, Green City Technology Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Joong Kee, E-mail: leejk@kist.re.kr [Center for Energy Convergence Research, Green City Technology Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-09-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • PB-based ECD employed micro-patterned FTO electrode was fabricated. • Effect of interface morphology on electrochromic characteristics was examined. • Electrochromic properties were enhanced by employing a patterned interface. - Abstract: The effect of interface morphology on electrochromic characteristics was examined for an electrochromic device (ECD). Micro-patterned fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) films were fabricated using a photolithography process. Prussian blue (PB) films were then deposited on the patterned FTO films. The surface areas of both PB films and FTO films were increased by patterning. ECDs were assembled using patterned PB/FTO films as the electrochromic electrode, bare FTO films as the counter electrode, and an electrolyte containing LiClO{sub 4} salt. The increased effective surface area of the patterned PB/FTO electrode boosted the mobility of ions at the interphase between the electrolyte and PB electrode, and the electron transfer between PB films and FTO films. As a result, electrochromic properties such as transmittance and response time were significantly improved by employing the patterned FTO films as the transparent conductive oxide layer of the electrochromic electrode.

Development of an SU-8 MEMS process with two metal electrodes using amorphous silicon as a sacrificial material

KAUST Repository

Ramadan, Khaled S.

2013-02-08

This work presents an SU-8 surface micromachining process using amorphous silicon as a sacrificial material, which also incorporates two metal layers for electrical excitation. SU-8 is a photo-patternable polymer that is used as a structural layer for MEMS and microfluidic applications due to its mechanical properties, biocompatibility and low cost. Amorphous silicon is used as a sacrificial layer in MEMS applications because it can be deposited in large thicknesses, and can be released in a dry method using XeF2, which alleviates release-based stiction problems related to MEMS applications. In this work, an SU-8 MEMS process was developed using ;-Si as a sacrificial layer. Two conductive metal electrodes were integrated in this process to allow out-of-plane electrostatic actuation for applications like MEMS switches and variable capacitors. In order to facilitate more flexibility for MEMS designers, the process can fabricate dimples that can be conductive or nonconductive. Additionally, this SU-8 process can fabricate SU-8 MEMS structures of a single layer of two different thicknesses. Process parameters were optimized for two sets of thicknesses: thin (5-10 m) and thick (130 m). The process was tested fabricating MEMS switches, capacitors and thermal actuators. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Hydroxyapatite screen-printed thick films: optical and electrical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, C.C.; Rocha, H.H.B.; Freire, F.N.A.; Santos, M.R.P.; Saboia, K.D.A.; Goes, J.C.; Sombra, A.S.B.

2005-01-01

In this paper, we did a study on the structural and electrical properties of bioceramic hydroxiapatite (HA) thick films. The films were prepared in two layers using the screen-printing technique on Al 2 O 3 substrates. Mechanical alloying has been used successfully to produce nanocrystalline powders of hydroxyapatite to be used in the films. We also look for the effect of the grain size of the HA in the final properties of the film. The samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy and electrical measurements. We did a study of the dielectric permittivity and the loss of the films in the radio-frequency of the spectra. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that all the peaks associated to HA phase is present in the films. One can notice that, for all the films there is a decrease of the DC (dielectric constant) with the increase of the frequency. The values of the dielectric constant of the films are in between 4 and 9 (at 1 kHz), as a function of the flux concentration. The loss is decreasing as we increase the frequency for all the films. These results strongly suggest that the screen-printing HA thick films are good candidates for applications in biocompatible coatings of implant materials

Hydroxyapatite screen-printed thick films: optical and electrical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, C.C. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Rocha, H.H.B. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Freire, F.N.A. [Departamento de Quimica Orga-circumflex nica e Inorga-circumflex nica-UFC, Caixa Postal 6030, CEP 60455-760, Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Santos, M.R.P. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Saboia, K.D.A. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Goes, J.C. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil); Sombra, A.S.B. [Laboratorio de Telecomunicaco-tilde es e Ciencia e Engenharia de Materiais (LOCEM), Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Caixa Postal 6030, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceara (Brazil)]. E-mail: sombra@fisica.ufc.br

2005-07-15

In this paper, we did a study on the structural and electrical properties of bioceramic hydroxiapatite (HA) thick films. The films were prepared in two layers using the screen-printing technique on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates. Mechanical alloying has been used successfully to produce nanocrystalline powders of hydroxyapatite to be used in the films. We also look for the effect of the grain size of the HA in the final properties of the film. The samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), infrared and Raman scattering spectroscopy and electrical measurements. We did a study of the dielectric permittivity and the loss of the films in the radio-frequency of the spectra. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that all the peaks associated to HA phase is present in the films. One can notice that, for all the films there is a decrease of the DC (dielectric constant) with the increase of the frequency. The values of the dielectric constant of the films are in between 4 and 9 (at 1 kHz), as a function of the flux concentration. The loss is decreasing as we increase the frequency for all the films. These results strongly suggest that the screen-printing HA thick films are good candidates for applications in biocompatible coatings of implant materials.

Topology optimized RF MEMS switches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Philippine, M. A.; Zareie, H.; Sigmund, Ole

2013-01-01

Topology optimization is a rigorous and powerful method that should become a standard MEMS design tool - it can produce unique and non-intuitive designs that meet complex objectives and can dramatically improve the performance and reliability of MEMS devices. We present successful uses of topology...

Synthesis and luminescence properties of erbium silicate thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miritello, Maria; Lo Savio, Roberto; Iacona, Fabio; Franzo, Giorgia; Bongiorno, Corrado; Priolo, Francesco

2008-01-01

We have studied the structure and the room temperature luminescence of erbium silicate thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering. Films deposited on silicon oxide layers are characterized by good structural properties and excellent stability. The optical properties of these films are strongly improved by rapid thermal annealing processes performed in the range of temperature 800-1250 deg. C. In fact through the reduction of the defect density of the material, a very efficient room temperature photoluminescence at 1535 nm is obtained. We have also investigated the influence of the annealing ambient, by finding that treatments in O 2 atmosphere are significantly more efficient in improving the optical properties of the material with respect to processes in N 2 . Upconversion effects become effective only when erbium silicate is excited with high pump powers. The evidence that all Er atoms (about 10 22 cm -3 ) in erbium silicate films are optically active suggests interesting perspectives for optoelectronic applications of this material

Properties of sericin films crosslinking with dimethylolurea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turbiani, Franciele R.B.; Stroher, Gylles Ricardo; Tomadon Junior, Jose; Seixas, Fernanda L.; Stroher, Gylles Ricardo; Gimenes, Marcelino L.

2011-01-01

Sericin is a natural silk protein which is removed from silk in a process called degumming. Thus, finding a use for the extracted sericin as a bio polymer film will create added value product which will benefit both the economy and society. The films were manufactured with silk sericin, using different dimethylolurea (DMU) concentrations as cross-linking agent and glycerol as plasticizer. Sericin films produced by crosslinking method were light yellow, homogeneous, transparent and visually attractive. The average film thickness was 0.10 ± 0.02 mm. The bio films show low water solubility (up to 30% of total dry mass), good tension strength and high elongation ability. The water vapor permeability is moderate, typical of highly hydrophilic films. Structural transformations in silk sericin films were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. This resulted in aggregated β-sheet structure (peak at 1616 cm-1 in the amide I absorption) by FTIR studies and increasing the DMU concentration in film decreased the peak intensity at 2θ = 20 degree. Sericin-based film properties are dependent on components used to form film, which can used to tailor the desired film flexibility and minimize permeability of films. (author)

Properties of sericin films crosslinking with dimethylolurea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turbiani, Franciele R.B.; Stroher, Gylles Ricardo [Federal Technology University - UTFPR, Campus Apucarana, PR (Brazil); Tomadon, Junior, Jose; Seixas, Fernanda L; Stroher, Gylles Ricardo; Gimenes, Marcelino L., E-mail: francieler@utfpr.edu.br [State University of Maringa. UEM, Campus Maringa, PR (Brazil)

2011-07-01

Sericin is a natural silk protein which is removed from silk in a process called degumming. Thus, finding a use for the extracted sericin as a bio polymer film will create added value product which will benefit both the economy and society. The films were manufactured with silk sericin, using different dimethylolurea (DMU) concentrations as cross-linking agent and glycerol as plasticizer. Sericin films produced by crosslinking method were light yellow, homogeneous, transparent and visually attractive. The average film thickness was 0.10 {+-} 0.02 mm. The bio films show low water solubility (up to 30% of total dry mass), good tension strength and high elongation ability. The water vapor permeability is moderate, typical of highly hydrophilic films. Structural transformations in silk sericin films were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. This resulted in aggregated {beta}-sheet structure (peak at 1616 cm-1 in the amide I absorption) by FTIR studies and increasing the DMU concentration in film decreased the peak intensity at 2{theta} = 20 degree. Sericin-based film properties are dependent on components used to form film, which can used to tailor the desired film flexibility and minimize permeability of films. (author)

Size-dependent pull-in instability of electrostatically actuated microbeam-based MEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Binglei; Zhou, Shenjie; Zhao, Junfeng; Chen, Xi

2011-01-01

We present a size-dependent model for electrostatically actuated microbeam-based MEMS using strain gradient elasticity theory. The normalized pull-in voltage is shown to increase nonlinearly with the decrease of the beam height, and the size effect becomes prominent if the beam thickness is on the order of microns or smaller (i.e. when the beam dimension is comparable to the material length scale parameter). Very good agreement is found between the present model and available experimental data. The study may be helpful to characterize the mechanical properties of small size MEMS, or guide the design of microbeam-based devices for a wide range of potential applications. (technical note)

Interfacial Properties of CZTS Thin Film Solar Cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Muhunthan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cu-deficient CZTS (copper zinc tin sulfide thin films were grown on soda lime as well as molybdenum coated soda lime glass by reactive cosputtering. Polycrystalline CZTS film with kesterite structure was produced by annealing it at 500°C in Ar atmosphere. These films were characterized for compositional, structural, surface morphological, optical, and transport properties using energy dispersive X-ray analysis, glancing incidence X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Hall effect measurement. A CZTS solar cell device having conversion efficiency of ~0.11% has been made by depositing CdS, ZnO, ITO, and Al layers over the CZTS thin film deposited on Mo coated soda lime glass. The series resistance of the device was very high. The interfacial properties of device were characterized by cross-sectional SEM and cross-sectional HRTEM.

Enhancing mechanical properties of chitosan films via modification with vanillin.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-Hong; Han, Zhong; Zeng, Xin-An; Xiong, Xia-Yu; Liu, Yu-Jia

2015-11-01

The vanillin/chitosan composite films were prepared using the solvent evaporation method. The properties of the films including optical property, water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (%E) were studied to investigate the effect of cross-linking agent of vanillin on chitosan films by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR). Results showed that the TS of composite films increased by 53.3% and the WVP decreased by 36.5% compared with pure chitosan film that were due to the formation of the dense network structure by FT-IR spectra. There were almost no changes of the thermal stability of the composite films compared with the pure chitosan film by TGA analysis. In addition, from the SEM images, it could be seen that the film with addition of vanillin with 0.5-10% concentration exhibited good compatibility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced thermoelectric properties of bismuth telluride-organic hybrid films via graphene doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, Airul Azha Abd; Umar, Akrajas Ali; Salleh, Muhamad Mat; Chen, Xiaomei; Oyama, Munetaka

2016-01-01

The thermoelectric properties of graphene-doped bismuth telluride-PEDOT:PSS-glycerol (hybrid) films were investigated. Prior to the study, p-type and n-type hybrid films were prepared by doping the PEDOT:PSS-glycerol with the p- and n-type bismuth telluride. Graphene-doped hybrid films were prepared by adding graphene particles of concentration ranging from 0.02 to 0.1 wt% into the hybrid films. Films of graphene-doped hybrid system were then prepared on a glass substrate using a spin-coating technique. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the hybrid films increases with the increasing of the graphene-dopant concentration and optimum at 0.08 wt% for both p- and n-type films, namely 400 and 195 S/cm, respectively. Further increasing in the concentration caused a decreasing in the electrical conductivity. Analysis of the thermoelectric properties of the films obtained that the p-type film exhibited significant improvement in its thermoelectric properties, where the thermoelectric properties increased with the increasing of the doping concentration. Meanwhile, for the case of n-type film, graphene doping showed a negative effect to the thermoelectrical properties, where the thermoelectric properties decreased with the increasing of doping concentration. Seebeck coefficient (and power factor) for optimum p-type and n-type hybrid thin films, i.e., doped with 0.08 wt% of graphene, is 20 μV/K (and 160 μW m -1 K -2 ) and 10 μV/K (and 19.5 μW m -1 K -2 ), respectively. The obtained electrical conductivity and thermoelectric properties of graphene-doped hybrid film are interestingly several orders higher than the pristine hybrid films. A thermocouple device fabricated utilizing the p- and n-type graphene-doped hybrid films can generate an electric voltage as high as 2.2 mV under a temperature difference between the hot-side and the cold-side terminal as only low as 55 K. This is equivalent to the output power as high as 24.2 nW (for output load as high as 50

Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(butylene succinate Films Reinforced with Silica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sangviroon Nanthaporn

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In recent year, bioplastics have become more popular resulting from the growing concerns on environmental issues and the rising fossil fuel price. However, their applications were limited by its mechanical and thermal properties. The aim of this research is thus to improve mechanical and thermal properties of PBS bioplastic films by reinforcing with silica. Due to the poor interfacial interaction between the PBS matrix and silica, glycidyl methacrylate grafted poly(butylene succinate (PBS-g-GMA was used as a compatibilizer in order to improve the interaction between bioplastic films and filler. PBS-g-GMA was prepared in a twin-screw extruder and analyzed by the FTIR spectrometer. PBS and silica were then mixed in a twin-screw extruder and processed into films by a chill-roll cast extruder. The effects of silica loading on thermal and mechanical properties of the prepared bioplastic films were investigated. It was found that the mechanical properties of PBS/silica composite films were improved when 1%wt of silica was added. However, the mechanical properties decreased with increasing silica loading due to the agglomeration of silica particles. The results also show that the silica/PBS films with PBS-g-GMA possessed improved mechanical properties over the films without the compatibilizer.

Effect of starch type on the physico-chemical properties of edible films.

Science.gov (United States)

Basiak, Ewelina; Lenart, Andrzej; Debeaufort, Frédéric

2017-05-01

Food preservation is mostly related to packaging in oil-based plastics, inducing environmental problems, but this drawback could be limited by using edible/biodegradable films and coatings. Physical and chemical properties were assessed and reflect the role of the starch type (wheat, corn or potato) and thus that of the amylose/amylopectin ratio, which influences thickness, colour, moisture, wettability, thermal, surface and mechanical properties. Higher amylose content in films induces higher moisture sensitivity, and thus affects the mechanical and barrier properties. Films made from potato starch constitute a greater barrier for oxygen and water vapour though they have weaker mechanical properties than wheat and corn starch films. Starch species with higher amylose content have lower wettability properties, and better mechanical resistance, which strongly depends on the water content due to the hydrophilic nature of starch films, so they could be used for products with higher water activity, such as cheese, fruits and vegetables. It especially concerns wheat starch systems, and the contact angle indicates less hydrophilic surfaces (above 90°) than those of corn and potato starch films (below 90°). The starch origin influences optical properties and thickness: with more amylose, films are opalescent and thicker; with less, they are transparent and thinner. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and Characterization of a Micro Methanol Sensor Using the CMOS-MEMS Technique

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Chien-Fu Fong

2015-10-01

Full Text Available A methanol microsensor integrated with a micro heater manufactured using the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS-microelectromechanical system (MEMS technique was presented. The sensor has a capability of detecting low concentration methanol gas. Structure of the sensor is composed of interdigitated electrodes, a sensitive film and a heater. The heater located under the interdigitated electrodes is utilized to provide a working temperature to the sensitive film. The sensitive film prepared by the sol-gel method is tin dioxide doped cadmium sulfide, which is deposited on the interdigitated electrodes. To obtain the suspended structure and deposit the sensitive film, the sensor needs a post-CMOS process to etch the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer and silicon substrate. The methanol senor is a resistive type. A readout circuit converts the resistance variation of the sensor into the output voltage. The experimental results show that the methanol sensor has a sensitivity of 0.18 V/ppm.

Fabrication and Characterization of a Micro Methanol Sensor Using the CMOS-MEMS Technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Chien-Fu; Dai, Ching-Liang; Wu, Chyan-Chyi

2015-10-23

A methanol microsensor integrated with a micro heater manufactured using the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technique was presented. The sensor has a capability of detecting low concentration methanol gas. Structure of the sensor is composed of interdigitated electrodes, a sensitive film and a heater. The heater located under the interdigitated electrodes is utilized to provide a working temperature to the sensitive film. The sensitive film prepared by the sol-gel method is tin dioxide doped cadmium sulfide, which is deposited on the interdigitated electrodes. To obtain the suspended structure and deposit the sensitive film, the sensor needs a post-CMOS process to etch the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer and silicon substrate. The methanol senor is a resistive type. A readout circuit converts the resistance variation of the sensor into the output voltage. The experimental results show that the methanol sensor has a sensitivity of 0.18 V/ppm.

Influence of thickness on properties of plasticized oat starch films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melicia Cintia Galdeano

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thickness (between 80 and 120 µm on apparent opacity, water vapor permeability and mechanical properties (tensile and puncture of oat starch films plasticized with glycerol, sorbitol, glycerol:sorbitol mixture, urea and sucrose. Films were stored under 11, 57, 76 and 90% relative humidity (RH to study the mechanical properties. It was observed that the higher the thickness, the higher was the opacity values. Films without the plasticizer were more opaque in comparison with the plasticized ones. Glycerol:sorbitol films presented increased elongation with increasing thickness at all RH. Puncture force showed a strong dependence on the film thickness, except for the films plasticized with sucrose. In general, thickness did not affect the water permeability.

Experimental Validation of Topology Optimization for RF MEMS Capacitive Switch Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Philippine, Mandy Axelle; Zareie, Hosein; Sigmund, Ole

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present 30 distinct RF MEMS capacitive switch designs that are the product of topology optimizations that control key mechanical properties such as stiffness, response to intrinsic stress gradients, and temperature sensitivity. The designs were evaluated with high-accuracy simul...

Structural and optical properties of Na-doped ZnO films

Science.gov (United States)

Akcan, D.; Gungor, A.; Arda, L.

2018-06-01

Zn1-xNaxO (x = 0.0-0.05) solutions have been synthesized by the sol-gel technique using Zinc acetate dihydrate and Sodium acetate which were dissolved into solvent and chelating agent. Na-doped ZnO nanoparticles were obtained from solutions to find phase and crystal structure. Na-doped ZnO films have been deposited onto glass substrate by using sol-gel dip coating system. The effects of dopant concentration on the structure, morphology, and optical properties of Na-doped ZnO thin films deposited on glass substrate are investigated. Characterization of Zn1-xNaxO nanoparticles and thin films are examined using differential thermal analysis (DTA)/thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-Ray diffractometer (XRD). Optical properties of Zn1-xNaxO thin films were obtained by using PG Instruments UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer in 190-1100 nm range. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of thin films are presented.

Study on properties of poly(vinyl alcohol/polyacrylonitrile blend film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoquan Zhu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, a series of poly(vinyl alcohol (PVA/polyacrylonitrile (PAN blend films with different PAN mole contents were prepared by casting the polymer blend solution in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO. Surface morphologies of PVA/PAN blend films were analyzed by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM. Thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties of PVA/PAN blend films were investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA, Tensile Tests, and Surface Contact Angle Tests. The results showed that the introduction of PAN could exert marked effects on the properties of PVA films.

MEMS reliability: coming of age

Science.gov (United States)

Douglass, Michael R.

2008-02-01

In today's high-volume semiconductor world, one could easily take reliability for granted. As the MOEMS/MEMS industry continues to establish itself as a viable alternative to conventional manufacturing in the macro world, reliability can be of high concern. Currently, there are several emerging market opportunities in which MOEMS/MEMS is gaining a foothold. Markets such as mobile media, consumer electronics, biomedical devices, and homeland security are all showing great interest in microfabricated products. At the same time, these markets are among the most demanding when it comes to reliability assurance. To be successful, each company developing a MOEMS/MEMS device must consider reliability on an equal footing with cost, performance and manufacturability. What can this maturing industry learn from the successful development of DLP technology, air bag accelerometers and inkjet printheads? This paper discusses some basic reliability principles which any MOEMS/MEMS device development must use. Examples from the commercially successful and highly reliable Digital Micromirror Device complement the discussion.

Accounting for Uncertainties in Strengths of SiC MEMS Parts

Science.gov (United States)

Nemeth, Noel; Evans, Laura; Beheim, Glen; Trapp, Mark; Jadaan, Osama; Sharpe, William N., Jr.

2007-01-01

A methodology has been devised for accounting for uncertainties in the strengths of silicon carbide structural components of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The methodology enables prediction of the probabilistic strengths of complexly shaped MEMS parts using data from tests of simple specimens. This methodology is intended to serve as a part of a rational basis for designing SiC MEMS, supplementing methodologies that have been borrowed from the art of designing macroscopic brittle material structures. The need for this or a similar methodology arises as a consequence of the fundamental nature of MEMS and the brittle silicon-based materials of which they are typically fabricated. When tested to fracture, MEMS and structural components thereof show wide part-to-part scatter in strength. The methodology involves the use of the Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures Life (CARES/Life) software in conjunction with the ANSYS Probabilistic Design System (PDS) software to simulate or predict the strength responses of brittle material components while simultaneously accounting for the effects of variability of geometrical features on the strength responses. As such, the methodology involves the use of an extended version of the ANSYS/CARES/PDS software system described in Probabilistic Prediction of Lifetimes of Ceramic Parts (LEW-17682-1/4-1), Software Tech Briefs supplement to NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 9 (September 2006), page 10. The ANSYS PDS software enables the ANSYS finite-element-analysis program to account for uncertainty in the design-and analysis process. The ANSYS PDS software accounts for uncertainty in material properties, dimensions, and loading by assigning probabilistic distributions to user-specified model parameters and performing simulations using various sampling techniques.

Improvement of physical properties of IGZO thin films prepared by excimer laser annealing of sol–gel derived precursor films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsay, Chien-Yie; Huang, Tzu-Teng

2013-01-01

Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) transparent semiconductor thin films were prepared by KrF excimer laser annealing of sol–gel derived precursor films. Each as-coated film was dried at 150 °C in air and then annealed using excimer laser irradiation. The influence of laser irradiation energy density on surface conditions, optical transmittances, and electrical properties of laser annealed IGZO thin films were investigated, and the physical properties of the excimer laser annealed (ELA) and the thermally annealed (TA) thin films were compared. Experimental results showed that two kinds of surface morphology resulted from excimer laser annealing. Irradiation with a lower energy density (≤250 mJ cm −2 ) produced wavy and irregular surfaces, while irradiation with a higher energy density (≥350 mJ cm −2 ) produced flat and dense surfaces consisting of uniform nano-sized amorphous particles. The explanation for the differences in surface features and film quality is that using laser irradiation energy to form IGZO thin films improves the film density and removes organic constituents. The dried IGZO sol–gel films irradiated with a laser energy density of 350 mJ/cm 2 had the best physical properties of all the ELA IGZO thin films. The mean resistivity of the ELA 350 thin films (4.48 × 10 3 Ω cm) was lower than that of TA thin films (1.39 × 10 4 Ω cm), and the average optical transmittance in the visible range (90.2%) of the ELA 350 thin films was slightly higher than that of TA thin films (89.7%). - Highlights: • IGZO semiconductor films were prepared by laser annealing of sol–gel derived films. • Surface roughness and resistivity of ELA samples were affected by energy density. • The ELA 350 IGZO film exhibited the best properties among all of ELA IGZO films. • Transmittance and resistivity of ELA 350 films are greater than those of TA films

Improvement of physical properties of IGZO thin films prepared by excimer laser annealing of sol–gel derived precursor films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsay, Chien-Yie, E-mail: cytsay@fcu.edu.tw; Huang, Tzu-Teng

2013-06-15

Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) transparent semiconductor thin films were prepared by KrF excimer laser annealing of sol–gel derived precursor films. Each as-coated film was dried at 150 °C in air and then annealed using excimer laser irradiation. The influence of laser irradiation energy density on surface conditions, optical transmittances, and electrical properties of laser annealed IGZO thin films were investigated, and the physical properties of the excimer laser annealed (ELA) and the thermally annealed (TA) thin films were compared. Experimental results showed that two kinds of surface morphology resulted from excimer laser annealing. Irradiation with a lower energy density (≤250 mJ cm{sup −2}) produced wavy and irregular surfaces, while irradiation with a higher energy density (≥350 mJ cm{sup −2}) produced flat and dense surfaces consisting of uniform nano-sized amorphous particles. The explanation for the differences in surface features and film quality is that using laser irradiation energy to form IGZO thin films improves the film density and removes organic constituents. The dried IGZO sol–gel films irradiated with a laser energy density of 350 mJ/cm{sup 2} had the best physical properties of all the ELA IGZO thin films. The mean resistivity of the ELA 350 thin films (4.48 × 10{sup 3} Ω cm) was lower than that of TA thin films (1.39 × 10{sup 4} Ω cm), and the average optical transmittance in the visible range (90.2%) of the ELA 350 thin films was slightly higher than that of TA thin films (89.7%). - Highlights: • IGZO semiconductor films were prepared by laser annealing of sol–gel derived films. • Surface roughness and resistivity of ELA samples were affected by energy density. • The ELA 350 IGZO film exhibited the best properties among all of ELA IGZO films. • Transmittance and resistivity of ELA 350 films are greater than those of TA films.

Biodegradability and mechanical properties of starch films from Andean crops.

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, F G; Troncoso, O P; Torres, C; Díaz, D A; Amaya, E

2011-05-01

Different Andean crops were used to obtain starches not previously reported in literature as raw material for the production of biodegradable polymers. The twelve starches obtained were used to prepare biodegradable films by casting. Water and glycerol were used as plasticizers. The mechanical properties of the starch based films were assessed by means of tensile tests. Compost tests and FTIR tests were carried out to assess biodegradability of films. The results show that the mechanical properties (UTS, Young's modulus and elongation at break) of starch based films strongly depend on the starch source used for their production. We found that all the starch films prepared biodegrade following a three stage process and that the weight loss rate of all the starch based films tested was higher than the weight loss rate of the cellulose film used as control. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and properties of multiferroic nanocomposite films

KAUST Repository

Al-Nassar, Mohammed Y.; Ivanov, Yurii P.; Kosel, Jü rgen

2015-01-01

A new type of multiferroic polymer nanocomposite is presented, which exhibits excellent ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity simultaneously at room temperature. The multiferroic nanocomposite consists of a ferroelectric copolymer poly(vinylindene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and high aspect ratio ferromagnetic nickel (Ni) nanowires (NWs), which were grown inside anodic aluminum oxide membranes. The fabrication of nanocomposite films with Ni NWs embedded in P(VDF-TrFE) has been successfully carried out via a simple low-temperature spin-coating technique. Structural, ferromagnetic, and ferroelectric properties of the developed nanocomposite have been investigated. The remanent and saturation polarization as well as the coercive field of the ferroelectric phase are slightly affected by the incorporation of the NWs as well as the thickness of the films. While the former two decrease, the last increases by adding the NWs or increasing the thickness. The ferromagnetic properties of the nanocomposite films are found to be isotropic.

Magnetic properties of partially oxidized Fe films

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Miguel Angel; Lopez-Dominguez, Victor; Hernando, Antonio

Hybrid magnetic nanostructures exhibit appealing properties due to interface and proximity effects. A simple and interesting system of hybrid magnetic nanomaterials are partially oxidized ferromagnetic films. We have fabricated Fe films by thermal evaporation and performed a partial oxidation to magnetite (Fe3O4) by annealing in air at different times and temperatures. The magnetic properties of the films evolve from those of pure metallic iron to pure magnetite, showing intermediate states where the proximity effects control the magnetic behavior. At some stages, the magnetization curves obtained by SQUID and MOKE magnetometry exhibit important differences due to the dissimilar contribution of both phases to the magneto-optical response of the system This work has been supported by the Ministerio Español de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) MAT2013-48009-C4-1. V.L.D and M.A.G. acknowledges financial support from BBVA foundation.

Crystallinity and electrical properties of neodymium-substituted bismuth titanate thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.-C.; Hsiung, C.-P.; Chen, C.-Y.; Gan, J.-Y.; Sun, Y.-M.; Lin, C.-P.

2006-01-01

We report on the properties of Nd-substituted bismuth titanate Bi 4-x Nd x Ti 3 O 12 (BNdT) thin films for ferroelectric non-volatile memory applications. The Nd-substituted bismuth titanate thin films fabricated by modified chemical solution deposition technique showed much improved properties compared to pure bismuth titanate. A pyrochlore free crystalline phase was obtained at a low annealing temperature of 640 deg. C and grain size was found to be considerably increased as the annealing temperature increased. The film properties were found to be strongly dependent on the Nd content and annealing temperatures. The measured dielectric constant of BNdT thin films was in the range 172-130 for Bi 4-x Nd x Ti 3 O 12 with x 0.0-0.75. Ferroelectric properties of Nd-substituted bismuth titanate thin films were significantly improved compared to pure bismuth titanate. For example, the observed 2P r and E c for Bi 3.25 Nd 0.75 Ti 3 O 12 , annealed at 680 deg. C, were 38 μC/cm 2 and 98 kV/cm, respectively. The improved microstructural and ferroelectric properties of BNdT thin films suggest their suitability for high density ferroelectric random access memory applications

Improvement on Physical Properties of Pullulan Films by Novel Cross-Linking Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chieh-Ting; Chen, Kuan-I; Chiang, Hsin-Han; Chen, Yu-Kuo; Cheng, Kuan-Chen

2017-01-01

Pullulan based films possess several advantages, including high transparency, low toxicity, good biodegradability, good mechanical properties, and low oxygen permeability, are preferable for food packaging. The application of pullulan films on food packaging, however, has inherent disadvantage of high water solubility. In this study, glutaraldehyde and glycerol were used as the cross-linking reagent and the plasticizer respectively to improve water resistance and physical properties of the pullulan films. Effects of cross-linking degree on physical properties, including water absorptions, swelling behaviors, water vapor permeability and tensile strengths of films were evaluated. FTIR results demonstrated that the pullulan films were successfully cross-linked by glutaraldehyde. The tensile strength of pullulan films could be enhanced significantly (P permeability. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Optimization and simulation of MEMS rectilinear ion trap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huang Gang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the design of a MEMS rectilinear ion trap was optimized under simulated conditions. The size range of the MEMS rectilinear ion trap’s electrodes studied in this paper is measured at micron scale. SIMION software was used to simulate the MEMS rectilinear ion trap with different sizes and different radio-frequency signals. The ion-trapping efficiencies of the ion trap under these different simulation conditions were obtained. The ion-trapping efficiencies were compared to determine the performance of the MEMS rectilinear ion trap in different conditions and to find the optimum conditions. The simulation results show that for the ion trap at micron scale or smaller, the optimized length–width ratio was 0.8, and a higher frequency of radio-frequency signal is necessary to obtain a higher ion-trapping efficiency. These results have a guiding role in the process of developing MEMS rectilinear ion traps, and great application prospects in the research fields of the MEMS rectilinear ion trap and the MEMS mass spectrometer.

Design and characterization of copaiba oil/alginate films for wound dressings application: Effect of copaiba oil concentration on the film properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, Aryane Christine Neves; Silva, Classius Ferreira da

2016-01-01

Full text: Polymeric films have been used as wound dressings for burns and wounds. The healing, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties of these films can be induced or potentiated by the incorporation of bioactive like herbal medicines. In this work, alginate films were produced incorporating copaiba oil (Copaifera L.) which has the properties as mentioned above. The casting technique was used to prepare the copaiba oil/alginate films. The copaiba oil was previously emulsified in an alginate solution, and the emulsion was cast in a Petri dish before slow drying. The copaiba oil concentration was evaluated. The films were characterized according to the permeability to water vapor, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical properties. The emulsified films showed appropriate properties for use as wound dressings. The main effect on the properties occurred in the highest concentration of copaiba oil. (author)

Design and characterization of copaiba oil/alginate films for wound dressings application: Effect of copaiba oil concentration on the film properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martins, Aryane Christine Neves; Silva, Classius Ferreira da, E-mail: aryanemartins_@hotmail.com [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema, SP (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Full text: Polymeric films have been used as wound dressings for burns and wounds. The healing, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties of these films can be induced or potentiated by the incorporation of bioactive like herbal medicines. In this work, alginate films were produced incorporating copaiba oil (Copaifera L.) which has the properties as mentioned above. The casting technique was used to prepare the copaiba oil/alginate films. The copaiba oil was previously emulsified in an alginate solution, and the emulsion was cast in a Petri dish before slow drying. The copaiba oil concentration was evaluated. The films were characterized according to the permeability to water vapor, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical properties. The emulsified films showed appropriate properties for use as wound dressings. The main effect on the properties occurred in the highest concentration of copaiba oil. (author)

FILM-30: A Heat Transfer Properties Code for Water Coolant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MARSHALL, THERON D.

2001-01-01

A FORTRAN computer code has been written to calculate the heat transfer properties at the wetted perimeter of a coolant channel when provided the bulk water conditions. This computer code is titled FILM-30 and the code calculates its heat transfer properties by using the following correlations: (1) Sieder-Tate: forced convection, (2) Bergles-Rohsenow: onset to nucleate boiling, (3) Bergles-Rohsenow: partially developed nucleate boiling, (4) Araki: fully developed nucleate boiling, (5) Tong-75: critical heat flux (CHF), and (6) Marshall-98: transition boiling. FILM-30 produces output files that provide the heat flux and heat transfer coefficient at the wetted perimeter as a function of temperature. To validate FILM-30, the calculated heat transfer properties were used in finite element analyses to predict internal temperatures for a water-cooled copper mockup under one-sided heating from a rastered electron beam. These predicted temperatures were compared with the measured temperatures from the author's 1994 and 1998 heat transfer experiments. There was excellent agreement between the predicted and experimentally measured temperatures, which confirmed the accuracy of FILM-30 within the experimental range of the tests. FILM-30 can accurately predict the CHF and transition boiling regimes, which is an important advantage over current heat transfer codes. Consequently, FILM-30 is ideal for predicting heat transfer properties for applications that feature high heat fluxes produced by one-sided heating

Size-dependent magnetic properties of FeGaB/Al2O3 multilayer micro-islands

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, X.; Gao, Y.; Chen, H.; Chen, Y.; Liang, X.; Lin, W.; Sun, N. X.

2018-06-01

Recently, micrometer-size patterned magnetic materials have been widely used in MEMS devices. However, the self-demagnetizing action is significantly influencing the performance of the magnetic materials in many MEMS devices. Here, we report an experimental study on the magnetic properties of the patterned micro-scale FeGaB/Al2O3 multilayers. Ferromagnetic hysteresis loop, ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), permeability and domain behavior have been demonstrated by complementary techniques. Magnetic annealing was used to enhance the performance of magnetic multilayers. The comparisons among micro-islands with different sizes in the range of 200 μm ∼ 500 μm as well as full film show a marked influence of size-effect, the exchange coupling effect, and the different domain structures inside the islands.

Improved Adhesion of Gold Thin Films Evaporated on Polymer Resin: Applications for Sensing Surfaces and MEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behrang Moazzez

2013-05-01

Full Text Available We present and analyze a method to improve the morphology and mechanical properties of gold thin films for use in optical sensors or other settings where good adhesion of gold to a substrate is of importance and where controlled topography/roughness is key. To improve the adhesion of thermally evaporated gold thin films, we introduce a gold deposition step on SU-8 photoresist prior to UV exposure but after the pre-bake step of SU-8 processing. Shrinkage and distribution of residual stresses, which occur during cross-linking of the SU-8 polymer layer in the post-exposure baking step, are responsible for the higher adhesion of the top gold film to the post-deposition cured SU-8 sublayer. The SU-8 underlayer can also be used to tune the resulting gold film morphology. Our promoter-free protocol is easily integrated with existing sensor microfabrication processes.

Tailoring the physical properties of manganite thin films by tuning the epitaxial strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, P.X.; Zhang, H.; Cha, L.M.; Habermeier, H.-U.

2003-01-01

Through a proper choice of the mismatch between substrate and films, the physical properties of manganite thin films can be tailored We show that two types of manganite thin films of the Ruddlesden-Popper family, n=∞ and n=2, demonstrate a dramatic variation of their physical properties. It is proved that the property variation can be tuned precisely by controlling the lattice mismatch and/or the film thickness

Control of Bouncing in MEMS Switches Using Double Electrodes

KAUST Repository

Abdul Rahim, Farhan

2016-08-09

This paper presents a novel way of controlling the bouncing phenomenon commonly present in the Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems (RF MEMS) switches using a double-electrode configuration. The paper discusses modeling bouncing using both lumped parameter and beam models. The simulations of bouncing and its control are discussed. Comparison between the new proposed method and other available control techniques is also made. The Galerkin method is applied on the beam model accounting for the nonlinear electrostatic force, squeeze film damping, and surface contact effect. The results indicate that it is possible to reduce bouncing and hence beam degradation, by the use of double electrodes.

Determination of magnetic properties of multilayer metallic thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birlikseven, C.

2000-01-01

In recent year, Giant Magnetoresistance Effect has been attracting an increasingly high interest. High sensitivity magnetic field detectors and high sensitivity read heads of magnetic media can be named as important applications of these films. In this work, magnetic and electrical properties of single layer and thin films were investigated. Multilayer thin films were supplied by Prof. Dr. A. Riza Koeymen from Texas University. Multilayer magnetic thin films are used especially for magnetic reading and magnetic writing. storing of large amount of information into small areas become possible with this technology. Single layer films were prepared using the electron beam evaporation technique. For the exact determination of film thicknesses, a careful calibration of the thicknesses was made. Magnetic properties of the multilayer films were studied using the magnetization, magnetoresistance measurements and ferromagnetic resonance technique. Besides, by fitting the experimental results to the theoretical models, effective magnetization and angles between the ferromagnetic layers were calculated. The correspondence between magnetization and magnetoresistance was evaluated. To see the effect of anisotropic magnetoresistance in the magnetoresistance measurements, a new experimental set-up was build and measurements were taken in this set-up. A series of soft permalloy thin films were made, and temperature dependent resistivity, magnetoresistance, anisotropic magnetoresistance and magnetization measurements were taken

Physical properties and characterization of Ag doped CdS thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, N.A.; Nazir, A.; Mahmood, W.; Syed, W.A.A.; Butt, S.; Ali, Z.; Maqsood, A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► CdS thin films were grown. ► By ion exchange, Ag was doped. ► Physical properties were investigated. - Abstract: Thin films of cadmium sulfide with very well defined preferential orientation and relatively high absorption coefficient were fabricated by thermal evaporation technique. The research is focused to the fabrication and characterization of the compositional data of CdS thin films obtained by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope along with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The optical properties were studied by using a UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. The effects of silver-doping by ion exchange process on the properties of as-deposited CdS thin films have been investigated.

Preparation, Characterization, and Electrochromic Properties of Nanocellulose-Based Polyaniline Nanocomposite Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Sihang; Sun, Gang; He, Yongfeng; Fu, Runfang; Gu, Yingchun; Chen, Sheng

2017-05-17

On the basis of nanocellulose obtained by acidic swelling and ultrasonication, rodlike nanocellulose/polyaniline nanocomposites with a core-shell structure have been prepared via in situ polymerization. Compared to pure polyaniline, the nanocomposites show superior film-forming properties, and the prepared nanocomposite films demonstrate excellent electrochemical and electrochromic properties in electrolyte solution. Nanocomposite films, especially the one prepared with 40% polyaniline coated nanocomposite, exhibited faster response time (1.5 s for bleaching and 1.0 s for coloring), higher optical contrast (62.9%), higher coloration efficiency (206.2 cm 2 /C), and more remarkable switching stability (over 500 cycles). These novel nanocellulose-based nanorod network films are promising novel electrochromic materials with excellent properties.

Improved Properties of Coconut Shell Regenerated Cellulose Biocomposite Films using Butyl Methacrylate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farah Norain Hahary

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Butyl methacrylate acid (BMA was used to enhance the properties of coconut shell (CS and regenerated cellulose (RC biocomposite films. The effects of coconut shell content and BMA on the tensile properties, crystallinity index (CrI, thermal properties, and morphology of biocomposite films were investigated. An increase in CS content, up to 3 wt.%, increased the tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, but decreased the elongation at break. The CS-RC biocomposite films treated with BMA exhibited higher tensile strength and modulus of elasticity but lower elongation at break. The crystallinity index (CrI and thermal stability of CS-RC biocomposite films increased with increasing CS up to 3 wt.%. Treated CS biocomposite films had better thermal stability than untreated CS biocomposite films. The presence of BMA increased the crystallinity of CS regenerated cellulose biocomposite films. Enhancement of the interfacial interaction of CS-RC biocomposite films was revealed by morphological study.

MEMS based impedimetric sensing of phthalates

KAUST Repository

Zia, Asif I.

2013-05-01

Phthalate esters are known ubiquitous teratogenic and carcinogenic environmental and food pollutants. Their detection and quantification is strictly laboratory based, time consuming, expensive and professionally handled procedure. Presented research work describes a real time non-invasive detection technique for phthalates detection in ethanol, water and drinks. The new type of inter-digital sensor design incorporating multiple sensing gold electrodes were fabricated on silicon substrate based on thin film micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) using semiconductor device fabrication technology. A passivation layer of Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) was used to functionalize the sensor. Various concentrations (0.1 to 20ppm) of DINP (di-isononyl phthalates) in ethanol and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in deionized MilliQ water were subjected to the testing system by dip testing method. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique was used to obtain impedance spectra in order to determine sample conductance for evaluation of its dielectric properties. The impedance spectra so obtained showed that the sensor was able to detect the presence of phthalates in the samples distinctively. Electrochemical Spectrum Analyser was used to model the experimentally obtained impedance spectra by curve fitting technique to figure out Constant Phase Element (CPE) equivalent circuit. Locally available energy drink and juice was added with phthalates in concentrations of 2, 6 and 10ppm to observe the performance of the sensor in such products. Experimental results showed that the new sensor was able to detect different concentrations of phthalates in energy drinks. © 2013 IEEE.

Electrochromic properties of self-assembled nanoparticle multilayer films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue Bo; Li Hong; Zhang Lanlan; Peng Jun

2010-01-01

Hexagonal tungsten bronze (HTB) nanocrystal and TiO 2 nanoparticles were assembled into thin films by layer-by-layer self-assembly method. HTB nanocrystals were synthesized by hydrothermal route at 155 o C. UV-Vis spectra showed that the HTB/TiO 2 films exhibit a linear increase in film thickness with assembly exposure steps. The electrochromic property of the film was carefully investigated. Cyclic voltammetry indicated that the redox peak was around -0.5 V. The electrochromic contrast, coloration efficiency, switching speed, stability and optical memory were carefully investigated. The films vary from white to blue and finally dark brown. The electrochromic contrast is 63.9% at 633 nm. The coloration efficiency of the films is relatively high. The response time is less than 3 s.

Antimicrobial and physical properties of chitosan films incorporated with turmeric extract.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalaycıoğlu, Zeynep; Torlak, Emrah; Akın-Evingür, Gülşen; Özen, İlhan; Erim, F Bedia

2017-08-01

In this study, the effects of turmeric extract incorporation on the antibacterial and physical properties of the chitosan films were evaluated. Turmeric containing chitosan-based film was produced with casting procedure and cross-linked with sodium sulfate. Mechanical, optical, thermal properties, and water vapor permeability of the films were studied. The addition of turmeric to chitosan film significantly increased the tensile strength of the film and improved the ultraviolet-visible light barrier of the film. Infrared spectroscopy analysis suggested an interaction between the phenolic compounds of the extract and amin group of chitosan. Antimicrobial activity of the chitosan films was studied against Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus by plate count agar technique and a better antimicrobial activity was observed with turmeric incorporation. Turmeric incorporated chitosan films with enhanced antimicrobial activity and film stiffness can be suggested as a promising application for food packaging. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanotechnology: MEMS and NEMS and their applications to smart systems and devices

Science.gov (United States)

Varadan, Vijay K.

2003-10-01

civil strutures and food and medical industries. This unique combination of technologies also results in novel conformal sensors that can be remotely sensed by an antenna system with the advantage of no power requirements at the sensor site. This paper provides a brief review of MEMS and NEMS based smart systems for various applications mentioned above. Carbon Nano Tubes (CNT) with their unique structure, have already proven to be valuable in their application as tips for scanning probe microscopy, field emission devices, nanoelectronics, H2-storage, electromagnetic absorbers, ESD, EMI films and coatings and structural composites. For many of these applications, highly purified and functionalized CNT which are compatible with many host polymers are needed. A novel microwave CVD processing technique to meet these requirements has been developed at Penn State Center for the Engineering of Electronic and Acoustic Materials and Devices (CEEAMD). This method enables the production of highly purified carbon nano tubes with variable size (from 5 - 40 nm) at low cost (per gram) and high yield. Whereas, carbon nano tubes synthesized using the laser ablation or arc discharge evaporation method always include impurity due to catalyst or catalyst support. The Penn State research is based on the use of zeolites over other metal/metal oxides in the microwave field for a high production and uniformity of the product. An extended coventional purification method has been employed to purify our products in order to remove left over impurity. A novel composite structure can be tailored by functionalizing carbon nano tubes and chemically bonding them with the polymer matrix e.g. block or graft copolymer, or even cross-linked copolymer, to impart exceptional structural, electronic and surface properties. Bio- and Mechanical-MEMS devices derived from this hybrid composites will be presented.

Integrated electronics and fluidic MEMS for bioengineering

Science.gov (United States)

Fok, Ho Him Raymond

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microelectronics have become enabling technologies for many research areas. This dissertation presents the use of fluidic MEMS and microelectronics for bioengineering applications. In particular, the versatility of MEMS and microelectronics is highlighted by the presentation of two different applications, one for in-vitro study of nano-scale dynamics during cell division and one for in-vivo monitoring of biological activities at the cellular level. The first application of an integrated system discussed in this dissertation is to utilize fluidic MEMS for studying dynamics in the mitotic spindle, which could lead to better chemotherapeutic treatments for cancer patients. Previous work has developed the use of electrokinetic phenomena on the surface of a glass-based platform to assemble microtubules, the building blocks of mitotic spindles. Nevertheless, there are two important limitations of this type of platform. First, an unconventional microfabrication process is necessary for the glass-based platform, which limits the utility of this platform. In order to overcome this limitation, in this dissertation a convenient microfluidic system is fabricated using a negative photoresist called SU-8. The fabrication process for the SU-8-based system is compatible with other fabrication techniques used in developing microelectronics, and this compatibility is essential for integrating electronics for studying dynamics in the mitotic spindle. The second limitation of the previously-developed glass-based platform is its lack of bio-compatibility. For example, microtubules strongly interact with the surface of the glass-based platform, thereby hindering the study of dynamics in the mitotic spindle. This dissertation presents a novel approach for assembling microtubules away from the surface of the platform, and a fabrication process is developed to assemble microtubules between two self-aligned thin film electrodes on thick SU-8

Study on the Preparation and Properties of Colored Iron Oxide Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Xianhui; Li Changhong; Liu Qiuping; He Junjing; Wang Hai; Liang Song; Duan Yandong; Liu Su

2013-01-01

Colored iron oxide thin films were prepared using Sol-gel technique. The raw materials were tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), etoh ehanol (EtOH), iron nitrate, and de-ionized water. Various properties were measured and analysed, including the colour of thin films, surface topography, UV-Visible spectra, corrosion resistance and hydrophobicity. To understand how these properties influenced the structural and optical properties of Fe 2 O 3 thin films, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), UV Spectrophotometer and other facilities were employed. Many parameters influence the performance of thin films, such as film layers, added H 2 O content, and the amount of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). When the volume ratio of TEOS, EtOH and H 2 O was 15: 13: 1, the quality of Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ·9H 2 O was 6g, and pH value was 3, reddish and uniform Fe 2 O 3 thin films with excellent properties were produced. Obtained thin films possessed corrosion resistance in hydrochloric acid with pH=l and the absorption edge wavelength was ∼350.2nm. Different H 2 O contents could result in different morphologies of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles. When 1.5 ml PDMS was added into the Sol, thin films possessed hydrophobiliry without dropping. Coating with different layers, thin films appeared different morphologies. Meanwhile, with the increment of film layers, the absorbance increased gradually.

Photoluminescence properties of perovskite multilayer thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macario, Leilane Roberta; Longo, Elson, E-mail: leilanemacario@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (UFSCar), SP (Brazil); Mazzo, Tatiana Martelli [Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), SP (Brazil); Bouquet, Valerie; Deputier, Stephanie; Ollivier, Sophie; Guilloux-Viry, Maryline [Universite de Rennes (France)

2016-07-01

Full text: The knowledge of the optical properties of thin films is important in many scientific, technological and industrial applications of thin films such as photoconductivity, solar energy, photography, and numerous other applications [1]. In this study, perovskite type oxides were grown by pulsed laser deposition [2] in order to obtain thin films with applicable optical properties. The LaNiO{sub 3} (LN), BaTiO{sub 3} (BT) and KNbO{sub 3} (KNb) targets were prepared by solid-state reaction. The X-ray Diffraction revealed the presence of the desired phases, containing the elements of interest in the targets and in the thin films that were produced. The LN, BT and KNb thin films were polycrystalline and the corresponding diffraction peaks were indexed in the with JCPDS cards n. 00-033-0711, n. 00-005-0626, and n. 00-009-0156, respectively. The multilayers films were polycrystalline. The majority of the micrographs obtained by scanning electron microscopy presented films with a thickness from 100 to 400 nm. The photoluminescent (PL) emission spectra of thin films show different broad bands that occupies large region of the visible spectrum, ranging from about 300-350 to 600-650 nm of the electromagnetic spectrum. The PL emission is associated with the order-disorder structural, even small structural changes can modify the interactions between electronic states. The structural disorder results in formation of new energy levels in the forbidden region. The proximity or distance of these new energy levels formed in relation to valence band and to the conduction band results in PL spectra located at higher or lower energies. These interactions change the electronic states which can be influenced by defects, particularly the interface defects between the layers of the thin films. The presence of defects results in changes in the broad band matrix intensity and in displacement of the PL emission maximum. (author)

Tribological properties of self-lubricating Ta-Cu films

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Wen; Fu, Licai; Zhu, Jiajun; Yang, Wulin; Li, Deyi; Zhou, Lingping

2018-03-01

In this paper, Ta and TaCu films were deposited by using magnetron sputtering, and the tribological properties of the films against Si3N4 balls were investigated under the loads of 2 N and 5 N. The average grain sizes of both films are below 25 nm. Ta and TaCu films have approximate hardness. While the wear rate of TaCu film is much smaller than that of Ta film. Post-wear testing XRD, Raman and XPS revealed the formation of tantalum oxide on the worn surface of both Ta and TaCu films. Tantalum oxidation is effectively lubricating to reduce friction coefficient. So the friction coefficient of both Ta and TaCu film is about 0.45 under different applied loads. Meanwhile, the addition of Cu could increase the toughness of the film, and avoid the generation of wear debris, resulting in a significant increase in wear resistance.

Quantitative evaluation about property of thin-film formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen Huawei [Department of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo (Japan) and School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University (China)]. E-mail: chen_hua_wei@yahoo.com; Hagiwara, Ichiro [Department of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Huang Tian [Department of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom); School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University (China); Zhang Dawei [School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University (China)

2006-03-15

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is gradually emphasized as one promising method for nanomaterial formation. Such growth mechanism has been mainly investigated on basis of experiment. Due to large cost of the equipment of experiment and low level of current measurement, the comprehension about authentic effect of formation condition on properties of nanomaterial is limited in qualitative manner. Three quantitative items: flatness of primary deposition, adhesion between cluster and substrate, and degree of epitaxial growth were proposed to evaluate the property of thin film. In this simulation, three different cluster sizes of 203, 653, 1563 atoms with different velocities (0, 10, 100, 1000, 3000 m/s) were deposited on a Cu(0 0 1) substrate whose temperatures were set between 300 and 1000 K. Within one velocity range, not only the speed of epitaxial growth and adhesion between thin film and substrate were enhanced, but also the degree of epitaxy increased and the shape of thin film became more flat with velocity increasing. Moreover, the epitaxial growth became well as the temperature of substrate was raised within a certain range, and the degree of epitaxy of small cluster was larger than larger cluster. The results indicated that the property of thin film could be controlled if the effect of situations of process was made clear.

Quantitative evaluation about property of thin-film formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Huawei; Hagiwara, Ichiro; Huang Tian; Zhang Dawei

2006-01-01

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is gradually emphasized as one promising method for nanomaterial formation. Such growth mechanism has been mainly investigated on basis of experiment. Due to large cost of the equipment of experiment and low level of current measurement, the comprehension about authentic effect of formation condition on properties of nanomaterial is limited in qualitative manner. Three quantitative items: flatness of primary deposition, adhesion between cluster and substrate, and degree of epitaxial growth were proposed to evaluate the property of thin film. In this simulation, three different cluster sizes of 203, 653, 1563 atoms with different velocities (0, 10, 100, 1000, 3000 m/s) were deposited on a Cu(0 0 1) substrate whose temperatures were set between 300 and 1000 K. Within one velocity range, not only the speed of epitaxial growth and adhesion between thin film and substrate were enhanced, but also the degree of epitaxy increased and the shape of thin film became more flat with velocity increasing. Moreover, the epitaxial growth became well as the temperature of substrate was raised within a certain range, and the degree of epitaxy of small cluster was larger than larger cluster. The results indicated that the property of thin film could be controlled if the effect of situations of process was made clear

Optical constants and structural properties of thin gold films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yakubovsky, Dmitry I.; Arsenin, Aleksey V.; Stebunov, Yury V.

2017-01-01

We report a comprehensive experimental study of optical and electrical properties of thin polycrystalline gold films in a wide range of film thicknesses (from 20 to 200 nm). Our experimental results are supported by theoretical calculations based on the measured morphology of the fabricated gold...... rules for thin-film plasmonic and nanophotonic devices....... films. We demonstrate that the dielectric function of the metal is determined by its structural morphology. Although the fabrication process can be absolutely the same for different films, the dielectric function can strongly depend on the film thickness. Our studies show that the imaginary part...

Preparation and mechanical properties of edible rapeseed protein films.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Sung-Ae; Lim, Geum-Ok; Song, Kyung Bin

2011-03-01

Edible films were manufactured from rapeseed oil extraction residues. To prepare rapeseed protein (RP) films, various concentrations of plasticizers and emulsifiers were incorporated into the preparation of a film-forming solution. The optimal conditions for the preparation of the RP film were 2% sorbitol/0.5% sucrose as plasticizer and 1.5% polysorbate 20 as an emulsifier. In addition, RP blend films were prepared. Gelidium corneum or gelatin was added to improve the physical properties of the RP film, and the highest tensile strength value of the films was 53.45 MPa for the 3% RP/4% gelatin film. Our results suggest that the RP-gelatin blend film is suitable for applications in food packaging. Edible RP films prepared in the present investigation can be applied in food packaging.

Using MEMS Capacitive Switches in Tunable RF Amplifiers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danson John

2006-01-01

Full Text Available A MEMS capacitive switch suitable for use in tunable RF amplifiers is described. A MEMS switch is designed, fabricated, and characterized with physical and RF measurements for inclusion in simulations. Using the MEMS switch models, a dual-band low-noise amplifier (LNA operating at GHz and GHz, and a tunable power amplifier (PA at GHz are simulated in m CMOS. MEMS switches allow the LNA to operate with 11 dB of isolation between the two bands while maintaining dB of gain and sub- dB noise figure. MEMS switches are used to implement a variable matching network that allows the PA to realize up to 37% PAE improvement at low input powers.

Correlation of CVD Diamond Electron Emission with Film Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Bozeman, S. P.; Baumann, P. K.; Ward, B. L.; Nemanich, R. J.; Dreifus, D. L.

1996-03-01

Electron field emission from metals is affected by surface morphology and the properties of any dielectric coating. Recent results have demonstrated low field electron emission from p-type diamond, and photoemission measurements have identified surface treatments that result in a negative electron affinity (NEA). In this study, the field emission from diamond is correlated with surface treatment, surface roughness, and film properties (doping and defects). Electron emission measurements are reported on diamond films synthesized by plasma CVD. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy indicates that the CVD films exhibit a NEA after exposure to hydrogen plasma. Field emission current-voltage measurements indicate "threshold voltages" ranging from approximately 20 to 100 V/micron.

MEMS-based transmission lines for microwave applications

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qun; Fu, Jiahui; Gu, Xuemai; Shi, Huajuan; Lee, Jongchul

2003-04-01

This paper mainly presents a briefly review for recent progress in MEMS-based transmission lines for use in microwave and millimeterwave range. MEMS-based transmission lines including different transmission line structure such as membrane-supported microstrip line microstrip line, coplanar microshield transmission line, LIGA micromachined planar transmission line, micromachined waveguides and coplanar waveguide are discussed. MEMS-based transmission lines are characterized by low propagation loss, wide operation frequency band, low dispersion and high quality factor, in addition, the fabrication is compatible with traditional processing of integrated circuits (IC"s). The emergence of MEMS-based transmission lines provided a solution for miniaturizing microwave system and monolithic microwave integrated circuits.

Photostimulated changes of properties of CdTe films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dzhafarov, T.D. [Institute of Physics, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, AZ-1143 Baku (Azerbaijan); Yesilkaya, S.S. [Department of Physics, Yildiz Technical University, 34210 Esenler/Istanbul (Turkey)

2007-08-15

The effect of illumination during the close-spaced sublimation (CSS) growth on composition, structural, electrical, optical and photovoltaic properties of CdTe films and CdTe/CdS solar cells were investigated. Data on comparative study by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), absorption spectra and conductivity-temperature measurements of CdTe films prepared by CSS method in dark (CSSD) and under illumination (CSSI) were presented. It is shown that the growth rate and the grain size of CdTe films grown under illumination is higher (by factor about of 1.5 and 3 respectively) than those for films prepared without illumination. The energy band gap of CdTe films fabricated by both technology, determined from absorption spectra, is same (about of 1.50 eV), however conductivity of the CdTe films produced by CSSI is considerably greater (by factor of 10{sup 7}) than that of films prepared by CSSD. The photovoltaic parameters of pCdTe/nCdS solar cells fabricated by photostimulated CSSI technology (J{sub sc}=28 mA/cm{sup 2}, V{sub oc}=0.63 V) are considerably larger than those for cells prepared by CSSD method (J{sub sc}=22 mA/cm{sup 2}, V{sub oc}=0.52 V). A mechanism of photostimulated changes of properties of CdTe films and improvement of photovoltaic parameters of CdTe/CdS solar cells is suggested. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Microstructures using RF sputtered PSG film as a sacrificial layer in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

These films are also used for surface passivation and improving the metal layer step coverage in device fabrication (Sze 1988; Takamatsu et al. 1984). In MEMS, PSG films have been reported to be one of the most suitable materials for sacrificial layer because of its high etch rate. Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor ...

Synthesis and luminescent properties of PEO/lanthanide oxide nanoparticle hybrid films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goubard, F.; Vidal, F.; Bazzi, R.; Tillement, O.; Chevrot, C.; Teyssie, D.

2007-01-01

In this study, we investigate the optical properties of lanthanide oxide nanoparticles dispersed in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) network as thermally stable polymeric films. The aim of this work is both to keep a good optical transparency in the visible domain and to obtain luminescent materials after incorporation of nanoparticles. For this purpose, we develop luminescent nanocrystals of oxides containing terbium ion as a doping element in Gd 2 O 3 . These sub-5-nm lanthanide oxides nanoparticles have been prepared by direct oxide precipitation in high-boiling polyalcohol solutions and characterized by luminescence spectroscopy. PEO/lanthanide oxide nanohybrid films are prepared by radical polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate after introduction of lanthanide oxide particles. As a first result; the obtained films present interesting luminescence properties with a very low lanthanide oxide content (up to 0.29 wt%). Furthermore, these films are still transparent and keep their original mechanical properties. Prior to describe the specific applications to optical use, we report here the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and luminescent properties of. nanohybrid films

Optical properties of gold island films-a spectroscopic ellipsometry study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loncaric, Martin, E-mail: mloncaric@irb.hr; Sancho-Parramon, Jordi; Zorc, Hrvoje

2011-02-28

Metal island films of noble metals are obtained by deposition on glass substrates during the first stage of evaporation process when supported metal nanoparticles are formed. These films show unique optical properties, owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance of free electrons in metal nanoparticles. In the present work we study the optical properties of gold metal island films deposited on glass substrates with different mass thicknesses at different substrate temperatures. The optical characterization is performed by spectroscopic ellipsometry at different angles of incidence and transmittance measurements at normal incidence in the same point of the sample. Fitting of the ellipsometric data allows determining the effective optical constants and thickness of the island film. A multiple oscillator approach was used to successfully represent the dispersion of the effective optical constants of the films.

Evaluation of tensile properties and water absortion of cassava starch film

Science.gov (United States)

Walster, R. Justin; Rozyanty, A. R.; Kahar, A. W. M.; Musa, L.; Shahnaz, S. B. S.

2017-09-01

Casava Starch film was prepared by casting method with different percentage of glycerol (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%) as plasticizer. The effect of glycerol content in starch film on mechanical and water absorption properties was studied. Results shows that the increase of glycerol content in cassava starch film had decrease the tensile strength, tensile modulus and increase the elongation of break properties. The result of water absorbency tended to increase for starch film with higher percentage of glycerol content. The incorporation of glycerol in cassava starch film had increase the water absorption ability due to increase of hydroxyl content contributed by glycerol.

High magnetic field properties of Fe-pnictide thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurth, Fritz

2015-11-20

The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in Fe-based materials triggered worldwide efforts to investigate their fundamental properties. Despite a lot of similarities to cuprates and MgB{sub 2}, important differences like near isotropic behaviour in contrast to cuprates and the peculiar pairing symmetry of the order parameter (OP) have been reported. The OP symmetry of Fe-based superconductors (FBS) was theoretically predicted to be of so-called s± state prior to various experimental works. Still, most of the experimental results favour the s± scenario; however, definitive evidence has not yet been reported. Although no clear understanding of the superconducting mechanisms yet exists, potential applications such as high-field magnets and Josephson devices have been explored. Indeed, a lot of reports about FBS tapes, wires, and even SQUIDs have been published to this date. In this thesis, the feasibility of high-field magnet applications of FBS is addressed by studying their transport properties, involving doped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} (Ba-122) and LnFeAs(O,F) [Ln=Sm and Nd]. Particularly, it is important to study physical properties in a sample form (i.e. thin films) that is close to the conditions found in applications. However, the realisation of epitaxial FBS thin films is not an easy undertaking. Recent success in growing epitaxial FBS thin films opens a new avenue to delve into transport critical current measurements. The information obtained through this research will be useful for exploring high-field magnet applications. This thesis consists of 7 chapters: Chapter 1 describes the motivation of this study, the basic background of superconductivity, and a brief summary of the thin film growth of FBS. Chapter 2 describes experimental methods employed in this study. Chapter 3 reports on the fabrication of Co-doped Ba-122 thin films on various substrates. Particular emphasis lies on the discovery of fluoride substrates to be beneficial for

Optoelectronic properties of doped hydrothermal ZnO thin films

KAUST Repository

Mughal, Asad J.; Carberry, Benjamin; Oh, Sang Ho; Myzaferi, Anisa; Speck, James S.; Nakamura, Shuji; DenBaars, Steven P.

2017-01-01

, or In were evaluated for their optoelectronic properties. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy was used to determine the concentration of dopants within the ZnO films. While Al and Ga-doped films showed linear incorporation rates

Optical properties of CdS thin films by (SILAR) method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ates, A.; Gurbulak, B.; Yildirim, M.

2004-01-01

Full text: CdS thin film was grown by Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique on quartz substrate. The film homogeneous of film is good and the film colour obtained as orange. Optical properties of CdS thin film has been investigated as a function of temperature in the temperature range 10-320 K with 10 K steps. The band gap energy decreased with increasing temperature

Advanced mechatronics and MEMS devices II

CERN Document Server

Wei, Bin

2017-01-01

This book introduces the state-of-the-art technologies in mechatronics, robotics, and MEMS devices in order to improve their methodologies. It provides a follow-up to "Advanced Mechatronics and MEMS Devices" (2013) with an exploration of the most up-to-date technologies and their applications, shown through examples that give readers insights and lessons learned from actual projects. Researchers on mechatronics, robotics, and MEMS as well as graduate students in mechanical engineering will find chapters on: Fundamental design and working principles on MEMS accelerometers Innovative mobile technologies Force/tactile sensors development Control schemes for reconfigurable robotic systems Inertial microfluidics Piezoelectric force sensors and dynamic calibration techniques ...And more. Authors explore applications in the areas of agriculture, biomedicine, advanced manufacturing, and space. Micro-assembly for current and future industries is also considered, as well as the design and development of micro and intel...

RF MEMS: status of the industry and roadmaps

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchaud, Jeremie; Wicht, Henning

2005-01-01

Microsystems for Radio Frequency applications, known as RF MEMS, have entered the commercialization phase in 2003. Bulk Acoustic Wave filters are already produced in series and first commercial samples of switches are available. On the other hand, reliability and packaging problems are still a major hurdle especially for switches and tunable capacitors. Will RF MEMS hold their promise to be one of the future major businesses for MEMS? The presentation will give an overview on RF MEMS applications and market players. WTC will highlight technical challenges that still have to be solved to open mass markets such as mobile telephony and WLAN. WTC will also present applications of RF MEMS and opportunities in niche markets with high added value like military and space applications. WTC will provide a regional analysis and compare R&D focus and public funding situation in North America, Europe and Asia. Finally, WTC will present an updated product roadmap market forecast for RF MEMS devices for the 2004-2008 time period.

Composition and structural analysis of Sm-Co thin films on (100)Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghantasala, M.; Sood, D.K.; Mohan, S.

1998-01-01

Full text: The necessity of integration of magnetics with silicon processing technology became essential with the advent of Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS). The need to control the crystalline and magnetic properties of the magnetic thin films on silicon substrates has been the primary motivation for this work. The major objective of this work is to prepare the stoichiometric and crystalline SmCo 5 thin films with good magnetic properties on single crystal silicon substrate. We have prepared the SmCo think films on single crystal (100) silicon substrates using DC magnetron sputtering. Films have been prepared in pure argon as the sputter media at two different pressures 2 x 10 -2 torr and 2 x 10 3 torr with the substrates kept at room temperature, 500 and 700 deg C separately. These films have been characterised using RBS, XRD and SEM. RBS analysis showed that the films are nearly stoichiometric (1:4.9) and have significant amounts of oxygen as impurity. But XRD studies indicated that the as deposited films (at all substrate temperatures) are yet to form the crystalline structure. Some of the films have been subjected to rapid thermal annealing at two different temperatures at 800 and 1000 deg C for 30 secs in an effort to crystallise the films. RBS analysis of these films indicated that the room temperature and post annealed films at 1000 deg C resulted in considerable interdiffusion characteristics, whereas the high temperature deposited (500 and 700 deg C) and annealed films showed relatively very stable characteristics with minimal diffusion between the film and the substrate. XRD and SEM analysis of the films is in progress. The detailed results of these investigations will be presented

MEMS-Reconfigurable Metamaterials and Antenna Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Debogovic

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews some of our contributions to reconfigurable metamaterials, where dynamic control is enabled by microelectromechanical systems (MEMS technology. First, we show reconfigurable composite right-/left-handed transmission lines (CRLH-TLs having state of the art phase velocity variation and loss, thereby enabling efficient reconfigurable phase shifters and leaky-wave antennas (LWA. Second, we present very low loss metasurface designs with reconfigurable reflection properties, applicable in reflectarrays and partially reflective surface (PRS antennas. All the presented devices have been fabricated and experimentally validated. They operate in X- and Ku-bands.

Design and fabrication of ultrathin silicon-nitride membranes for use in UV-visible airgap-based MEMS optical filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaderi, Mohammadamir; Wolffenbuttel, Reinoud F.

2016-01-01

MEMS-based airgap optical filters are composed of quarter-wave thick high-index dielectric membranes that are separated by airgaps. The main challenge in the fabrication of these filters is the intertwined optical and mechanical requirements. The thickness of the layers decreases with design wavelength, which makes the optical performance in the UV more susceptible to fabrication tolerances, such as thickness and composition of the deposited layers, while the ability to sustain a certain level of residual stress by the structural strength becomes more critical. Silicon-nitride has a comparatively high Young's modulus and good optical properties, which makes it a suitable candidate as the membrane material. However, both the mechanical and optical properties in a silicon-nitride film strongly depend on the specifics of the deposition process. A design trade-off is required between the mechanical strength and the index of refraction, by tuning the silicon content in the silicon-nitride film. However, also the benefit of a high index of refraction in a silicon-rich film should be weighed against the increased UV optical absorption. This work presents the design, fabrication, and preliminary characterization of one and three quarter-wave thick silicon-nitride membranes with a one-quarter airgap and designed to give a spectral reflectance at 400 nm. The PECVD silicon-nitride layers were initially characterized, and the data was used for the optical and mechanical design of the airgap filters. A CMOS compatible process based on polysilicon sacrificial layers was used for the fabrication of the membranes. Optical characterization results are presented. (paper)

Creep-resistant aluminum alloys for use in MEMS

Science.gov (United States)

Modlinski, R.; Ratchev, P.; Witvrouw, A.; Puers, R.; DeWolf, I.

2005-07-01

Creep is expected to be a reliability issue in MEMS where high temperatures and stresses are present in the moving part. In this paper, we describe a method of measuring the creep parameters, ΔF and τ, in metal thin films. Substrate curvature measurements were used to study different Al alloys—Al98.3Cu1.7, Al99.7V0.2Pd0.1, Al93.5Cu4.4Mg1.5Mn0.6 and Al99.6Cu0.4 films—during isothermal tensile stress relaxation. We show that there is a direct relation between the measured creep parameters and the coherency, size and spacing of precipitates observed by TEM and SEM in the alloys. Furthermore, we confirm that the plastic deformation is controlled by the motion of dislocations inside grains in the Al alloy films. A strengthening process called precipitation hardening was used to create stronger precipitates within the grains in Al99.6Cu0.4 to hinder the movement of dislocations more effectively and thus to make the alloy more creep resistant.

The Micronium-A Musical MEMS instrument

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Engelen, Johannes Bernardus Charles; de Boer, Hans L.; de Boer, Hylco; Beekman, Jethro G.; Fortgens, Laurens C.; de Graaf, Derk B.; Vocke, Sander; Abelmann, Leon

The Micronium is a musical instrument fabricated from silicon using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. It is—to the best of our knowledge—the first musical micro-instrument fabricated using MEMS technology, where the actual sound is generated by mechanical microstructures. The

Materials science in microelectronics II the effects of structure on properties in thin films

CERN Document Server

Machlin, Eugene

2005-01-01

The subject matter of thin-films - which play a key role in microelectronics - divides naturally into two headings: the processing / structure relationship, and the structure / properties relationship. Part II of 'Materials Science in Microelectronics' focuses on the latter of these relationships, examining the effect of structure on the following: Electrical properties Magnetic properties Optical properties Mechanical properties Mass transport properties Interface and junction properties Defects and properties Captures the importance of thin films to microelectronic development Examines the cause / effect relationship of structure on thin film properties.

Structure and properties of diamond and diamond-like films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clausing, R.E. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1993-01-01

This section is broken into four parts: (1) introduction, (2) natural IIa diamond, (3) importance of structure and composition, and (4) control of structure and properties. Conclusions of this discussion are that properties of chemical vapor deposited diamond films can compare favorably with natural diamond, that properties are anisotropic and are a strong function of structure and crystal perfection, that crystal perfection and morphology are functions of growth conditions and can be controlled, and that the manipulation of texture and thereby surface morphology and internal crystal perfection is an important step in optimizing chemically deposited diamond films for applications.

Filmes finos de LaNiO3 e PZT preparados pelo métodos das soluções precursoras poliméricas e depositados em substratos de silício

OpenAIRE

Souza, Éder Carlos Ferreira de [UNESP

2006-01-01

Nesta tese estudou-se a preparação de filmes finos de PZT não dopados e dopados com Nióbio, depositados sobre substratos de Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si para aplicações em memórias não voláteis de acesso randômico (NVRAM) e memórias ferroelétricas de acesso randômico (FeRAM). A dopagem dos filmes de PZT com Nióbio foi realizada visando obter valores ótimos nas propriedades ferroelétricas para a aplicação destes filmes como memórias ferroelétricas. Todavia, problemas como imprint, corrente de fuga e fadiga n...

Optical properties of tungsten oxide thin films by non-reactive sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acosta, M.; Gonzalez, D.; Riech, I.

2009-01-01

Tungsten oxide thin films were grown on glass substrates by RF sputtering at room temperature using a tungsten trioxide target for several values of the argon pressure (P Ar ). The structural and morphological properties of these films were studied using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The as-deposited films were amorphous irrespective of the argon pressure, and crystallized in a mixture of hexagonal and monoclinic phases after annealing at a temperature of 350 o C in air. Surface-roughness increased by an order of magnitude (from 1 nm to 20 nm) after thermal treatment. The argon pressure, however, had a strong influence on the optical properties of the films. Three different regions are clearly identified: deep blue films for P Ar ≤ 2.67 Pa with low transmittance values, light blue films for 2.67 Pa Ar Ar ≥ 6 Pa with high transmittance values. We suggest that the observed changes in optical properties are due to an increasing number of oxygen vacancies as the growth argon pressure decreases.

Material properties of novel polymeric films

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Gene

This dissertation will study the material properties of two types of novel polymer films (polyelectrolyte multilayer films and photolithographic polymer films). The formation of polylelectrolyte multilayer films onto functionalized aluminum oxide surfaces and functionalized poly(ethylene terephthaltate) (PET) were studied. Functionalization of the aluminum oxide surfaces was achieved via silane coupling. Functionalization of PET surfaces was achieved via hydrolysis and amidation. Surface characterization techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic contact angle measurements were used to monitor the polyelectrolyte multilayer formation. Mechanical properties of the aluminum oxide supported polyelectrolyte multilayer films were tested using a simplified peel test. XPS was used to analyze the surfaces before and after peel. Single lap shear joint specimens were constructed to test the adhesive shear strength of the PET-supported polyelectrolyte multilayer film samples with the aid of a cyanoacrylate adhesive. The adhesive shear strength and its relation with the type of functionalization, number of polyelectrolyte layers, and the effect of polyelectrolyte conformation using added salt were explored. Also, characterization on the single lap joints after adhesive failure was carried out to determine the locus of failure within the multilayers by using XPS and SEM. Two types of photolithographic polymers were formulated and tested. These two polymers (photocrosslinkable polyacrylate (PUA), and a photocrosslinkable polyimide (HRP)) were used to investigate factors that would affect the structural integrity of these particular polymers under environmental variables such as processing (time, UV cure, pressure, and temperature) and ink exposure. Thermomechanical characterization was carried out to see the behavior of these two polymers under these environmental variables. Microscopic techniques were employed to study the morphological behavior of

Self-aligned 0-level sealing of MEMS devices by a two layer thin film reflow process

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rusu, C.R.; Jansen, Henricus V.; Gunn, R.; Witvrouw, A.

2004-01-01

Many micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) require a vacuum or controlled atmosphere encapsulation in order to ensure either a good performance or an acceptable lifetime of operation. Two approaches for waferscale zero-level packaging exist. The most popular approach is based on wafer bonding.

Altering properties of cerium oxide thin films by Rh doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ševčíková, Klára; Nehasil, Václav; Vorokhta, Mykhailo; Haviar, Stanislav; Matolín, Vladimír

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Thin films of ceria doped by rhodium deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. • Concentration of rhodium has great impact on properties of Rh–CeO x thin films. • Intensive oxygen migration in films with low concentration of rhodium. • Oxygen migration suppressed in films with high amount of Rh dopants. - Abstract: Ceria containing highly dispersed ions of rhodium is a promising material for catalytic applications. The Rh–CeO x thin films with different concentrations of rhodium were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering and were studied by soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, Temperature programmed reaction and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. The sputtered films consist of rhodium–cerium mixed oxide where cerium exhibits a mixed valency of Ce 4+ and Ce 3+ and rhodium occurs in two oxidation states, Rh 3+ and Rh n+ . We show that the concentration of rhodium has a great influence on the chemical composition, structure and reducibility of the Rh–CeO x thin films. The films with low concentrations of rhodium are polycrystalline, while the films with higher amount of Rh dopants are amorphous. The morphology of the films strongly influences the mobility of oxygen in the material. Therefore, varying the concentration of rhodium in Rh–CeO x thin films leads to preparing materials with different properties

Diamond MEMS: wafer scale processing, devices, and technology insertion

Science.gov (United States)

Carlisle, J. A.

2009-05-01

Diamond has long held the promise of revolutionary new devices: impervious chemical barriers, smooth and reliable microscopic machines, and tough mechanical tools. Yet it's been an outsider. Laboratories have been effectively growing diamond crystals for at least 25 years, but the jump to market viability has always been blocked by the expense of diamond production and inability to integrate with other materials. Advances in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes have given rise to a hierarchy of carbon films ranging from diamond-like carbon (DLC) to vapor-deposited diamond coatings, however. All have pros and cons based on structure and cost, but they all share some of diamond's heralded attributes. The best performer, in theory, is the purest form of diamond film possible, one absent of graphitic phases. Such a material would capture the extreme hardness, high Young's modulus and chemical inertness of natural diamond. Advanced Diamond Technologies Inc., Romeoville, Ill., is the first company to develop a distinct chemical process to create a marketable phase-pure diamond film. The material, called UNCD® (for ultrananocrystalline diamond), features grain sizes from 3 to 300 nm in size, and layers just 1 to 2 microns thick. With significant advantages over other thin films, UNCD is designed to be inexpensive enough for use in atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes, microelectromechanical machines (MEMS), cell phone circuitry, radio frequency devices, and even biosensors.

Using MEMS Capacitive Switches in Tunable RF Amplifiers

OpenAIRE

Danson John; Plett Calvin; Tait Niall

2006-01-01

A MEMS capacitive switch suitable for use in tunable RF amplifiers is described. A MEMS switch is designed, fabricated, and characterized with physical and RF measurements for inclusion in simulations. Using the MEMS switch models, a dual-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) operating at GHz and GHz, and a tunable power amplifier (PA) at GHz are simulated in m CMOS. MEMS switches allow the LNA to operate with 11 dB of isolation between the two bands while maintaining dB of gain and sub- dB no...

Influence of Microstructure on the Electrical Properties of Heteroepitaxial TiN Films

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Wenfeng; Liu, Yuan; Zhang, Jiaqi

2018-03-01

Heteroepitaxial TiN films were deposited on Si substrates by pulse laser deposition at different substrate temperature. The microstructure and surface morphology of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (θ-2θ scan, ω-scan, and ϕ-scan) and atomic force microscopy. The electrical properties of the prepared TiN films were studied using a physical property measurement system. The experimental results showed that the crystallinity and surface morphology of the TiN films were improved gradually with increasing substrate temperature below 700 °C. Specially, single crystal TiN films were prepared when substrate temperature is above 700 °C; However, the quality of TiN films gradually worsened when the substrate temperature was increased further. The electrical properties of the films were directly correlated to their crystalline quality. At the optimal substrate temperature of 700 °C, the TiN films exhibited the lowest resistivity and highest mobility of 25.7 μΩ cm and 36.1 cm2/V s, respectively. In addition, the mechanism concerning the influence of substrate temperature on the microstructure of TiN films is discussed in detail.

Structural, transport and microwave properties of 123/sapphire films: Thickness effect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Predtechensky, MR.; Smal, A.N.; Varlamov, Y.D. [Institute of Thermophysics, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)] [and others

1994-12-31

The effect of thickness and growth conditions on the structure and microwave properties has been investigated for the 123/sapphire films. It has been shown that in the conditions of epitaxial growth and Al atoms do not diffuse from substrate into the film and the films with thickness up to 100nm exhibit the excellent DC properties. The increase of thickness of GdBaCuO films causes the formation of extended line-mesh defects and the increase of the surface resistance (R{sub S}). The low value of surface resistance R{sub S}(75GHz,77K)=20 mOhm has been obtained for the two layer YBaCuO/CdBaCuO/sapphire films.

Polydimethylsiloxane films doped with NdFeB powder: magnetic characterization and potential applications in biomedical engineering and microrobotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Iacovacci, V; Lucarini, G; Innocenti, C; Comisso, N; Dario, P; Ricotti, L; Menciassi, A

2015-12-01

This work reports the fabrication, magnetic characterization and controlled navigation of film-shaped microrobots consisting of a polydimethylsiloxane-NdFeB powder composite material. The fabrication process relies on spin-coating deposition, powder orientation and permanent magnetization. Films with different powder concentrations (10 %, 30 %, 50 % and 70 % w/w) were fabricated and characterized in terms of magnetic properties and magnetic navigation performances (by exploiting an electromagnet-based platform). Standardized data are provided, thus enabling the exploitation of these composite materials in a wide range of applications, from MEMS/microrobot development to biomedical systems. Finally, the possibility to microfabricate free-standing polymeric structures and the biocompatibility of the proposed composite materials is demonstrated.

A study on properties of PLA/PBAT from blown film process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hongdilokkul, P; Keeratipinit, K; Chawthai, S; Suttiruengwong, S; Hararak, B; Seadan, M

2015-01-01

The aim of this work was to study the properties of films based on PLA/PBAT blend prepared by the reactive compounding. PLA/PBAT blends were prepared at the weight ratio of 80:20 together with peroxide as a reactive agent in a twin screw extruder with temperature profile of 160/170/180/210/220/190/175/150°C from feed to die zone. All blended samples, neat PLA, and neat PBAT were characterized for morphology, mechanical and rheological properties. SEM micrographs showed finely dispersed phases of PBAT in PLA in all cases. The particle sizes of PBAT were around 1 μm. The results indicated that the drawability and toughness properties of PLA were greatly improved when blended with 20%wt PBAT. The interface adhesion, and mechanical properties of PLA/PBAT blends were also improved when adding a very small quantity of peroxide. PLA/PBAT blends were then used to produce films. The film characteristics and mechanical properties were examined. Tensile strength of films was significantly improved in the machine direction in PLA/PBAT/peroxide blends whereas the good optical transparent property were remained the same compared with neat PLA. (paper)

Antibacterial and barrier properties of oriented polymer films with ZnO thin films applied with atomic layer deposition at low temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vähä-Nissi, Mika; Pitkänen, Marja; Salo, Erkki; Kenttä, Eija; Tanskanen, Anne; Sajavaara, Timo; Putkonen, Matti; Sievänen, Jenni; Sneck, Asko; Rättö, Marjaana; Karppinen, Maarit; Harlin, Ali

2014-01-01

Concerns on food safety, and need for high quality and extended shelf-life of packaged foods have promoted the development of antibacterial barrier packaging materials. Few articles have been available dealing with the barrier or antimicrobial properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited at low temperature with atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto commercial polymer films typically used for packaging purposes. The purpose of this paper was to study the properties of ZnO thin films compared to those of aluminum oxide. It was also possible to deposit ZnO thin films onto oriented polylactic acid and polypropylene films at relatively low temperatures using ozone instead of water as an oxidizing precursor for diethylzinc. Replacing water with ozone changed both the structure and the chemical composition of films deposited on silicon wafers. ZnO films deposited with ozone contained large grains covered and separated probably by a more amorphous and uniform layer. These thin films were also assumed to contain zinc salts of carboxylic acids. The barrier properties of a 25 nm ZnO thin film deposited with ozone at 100 °C were quite close to those obtained earlier with ALD Al 2 O 3 of similar apparent thickness on similar polymer films. ZnO thin films deposited at low temperature indicated migration of antibacterial agent, while direct contact between ZnO and Al 2 O 3 thin films and bacteria promoted antibacterial activity. - Highlights: • Thin films were grown from diethylzinc also with ozone instead of water at 70 and 100 °C. • ZnO films deposited with diethylzinc and ozone had different structures and chemistries. • Best barrier properties obtained with zinc oxide films close to those obtained with Al 2 O 3 • Ozone as oxygen source provided better barrier properties at 100 °C than water. • Both aluminum and zinc oxide thin films showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli

Antibacterial and barrier properties of oriented polymer films with ZnO thin films applied with atomic layer deposition at low temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vähä-Nissi, Mika, E-mail: mika.vaha-nissi@vtt.fi [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland); Pitkänen, Marja; Salo, Erkki; Kenttä, Eija [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland); Tanskanen, Anne, E-mail: Anne.Tanskanen@aalto.fi [Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Sajavaara, Timo, E-mail: timo.sajavaara@jyu.fi [University of Jyväskylä, Department of Physics, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 Jyväskylä (Finland); Putkonen, Matti; Sievänen, Jenni; Sneck, Asko; Rättö, Marjaana [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland); Karppinen, Maarit, E-mail: Maarit.Karppinen@aalto.fi [Aalto University, School of Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Harlin, Ali [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044, VTT (Finland)

2014-07-01

Concerns on food safety, and need for high quality and extended shelf-life of packaged foods have promoted the development of antibacterial barrier packaging materials. Few articles have been available dealing with the barrier or antimicrobial properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited at low temperature with atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto commercial polymer films typically used for packaging purposes. The purpose of this paper was to study the properties of ZnO thin films compared to those of aluminum oxide. It was also possible to deposit ZnO thin films onto oriented polylactic acid and polypropylene films at relatively low temperatures using ozone instead of water as an oxidizing precursor for diethylzinc. Replacing water with ozone changed both the structure and the chemical composition of films deposited on silicon wafers. ZnO films deposited with ozone contained large grains covered and separated probably by a more amorphous and uniform layer. These thin films were also assumed to contain zinc salts of carboxylic acids. The barrier properties of a 25 nm ZnO thin film deposited with ozone at 100 °C were quite close to those obtained earlier with ALD Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} of similar apparent thickness on similar polymer films. ZnO thin films deposited at low temperature indicated migration of antibacterial agent, while direct contact between ZnO and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films and bacteria promoted antibacterial activity. - Highlights: • Thin films were grown from diethylzinc also with ozone instead of water at 70 and 100 °C. • ZnO films deposited with diethylzinc and ozone had different structures and chemistries. • Best barrier properties obtained with zinc oxide films close to those obtained with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} • Ozone as oxygen source provided better barrier properties at 100 °C than water. • Both aluminum and zinc oxide thin films showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli.

A MEMS-based, wireless, biometric-like security system

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Joshua D.; Schneiter, John L.; Leiby, Grant A.; McCarter, Steven; Smith, Jeremiah; Budka, Thomas P.

2010-04-01

We present a system for secure identification applications that is based upon biometric-like MEMS chips. The MEMS chips have unique frequency signatures resulting from fabrication process variations. The MEMS chips possess something analogous to a "voiceprint". The chips are vacuum encapsulated, rugged, and suitable for low-cost, highvolume mass production. Furthermore, the fabrication process is fully integrated with standard CMOS fabrication methods. One is able to operate the MEMS-based identification system similarly to a conventional RFID system: the reader (essentially a custom network analyzer) detects the power reflected across a frequency spectrum from a MEMS chip in its vicinity. We demonstrate prototype "tags" - MEMS chips placed on a credit card-like substrate - to show how the system could be used in standard identification or authentication applications. We have integrated power scavenging to provide DC bias for the MEMS chips through the use of a 915 MHz source in the reader and a RF-DC conversion circuit on the tag. The system enables a high level of protection against typical RFID hacking attacks. There is no need for signal encryption, so back-end infrastructure is minimal. We believe this system would make a viable low-cost, high-security system for a variety of identification and authentication applications.

Optical properties of tungsten oxide thin films by non-reactive sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acosta, M.; Gonzalez, D.; Riech, I.

2008-01-01

Tungsten oxide thin films were grown on glass substrates by RF sputtering at room temperature using a tungsten trioxide target for several values of the Argon pressure (PAr). The structural and morphological properties of these films were studied using X-ray diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy. The as-deposited films were amorphous irrespective of the Argon pressure, and crystallized in a mixture of hexagonal and monoclinic phases after annealing at a temperature of 3500 C in air. Surface-Roughness increased by an order of magnitude (from 1 nm to 20 nm) after thermal treatment. The Argon pressure, however, had a strong influence on the optical properties of the films. Three different regions are clearly identified: deep blue films for PAr 40 mTorr with high transmittance values. We suggest that the observed changes in optical properties are due to an increasing number of Oxygen vacancies as the growth Argon pressure decreases. (Full text)

Preparation and properties of antimony thin film anode materials

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SU Shufa; CAO Gaoshao; ZHAO Xinbing

2004-01-01

Metallic antimony thin films were deposited by magnetron sputtering and electrodeposition. Electrochemical properties of the thin film as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries were investigated and compared with those of antimony powder. It was found that both magnetron sputtering and electrodeposition are easily controllable processes to deposit antimony films with fiat charge/discharge potential plateaus. The electrochemical performances of antimony thin films, especially those prepared with magnetron sputtering, are better than those of antimony powder. The reversible capacities of the magnetron sputtered antimony thin film are above 400 mA h g-1 in the first 15 cycles.

Thermoelectric properties of ZnSb films grown by MOCVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatasubramanian, R; Watko, E; Colpitts, T

1997-07-01

The thermoelectric properties of ZnSb films grown by metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) are reported. The growth conditions necessary to obtain stoichiometric ZnSb films and the effects of various growth parameters on the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficients of the films are described. The as-grown ZnSb films are p-type. It was observed that the thicker ZnSb films offer improved carrier mobilities and lower free-carrier concentration levels. The Seebeck coefficient of ZnSb films was found to rise rapidly at approximately 160 C. The thicker films, due to the lower doping levels, indicate higher Seebeck coefficients between 25 to 200 C. A short annealing of the ZnSb film at temperatures of {approximately}200 C results in reduced free-carrier level. Thermal conductivity measurements of ZnSb films using the 3-{omega} method are also presented.

Tribological properties of nanocrystalline diamond films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdemir, A.; Fenske, G.R.; Krauss, A.R.; Gruen, D.M.; McCauley, T.; Csencsits, R.T. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Energy Technology Div.

1999-11-01

In this paper, we present the friction and wear properties of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films grown in Ar-fullerene (C{sub 60}) and Ar-CH{sub 4} microwave plasmas. Specifically, we will address the fundamental tribological issues posed by these films during sliding against Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} counterfaces in ambient air and inert gases. Grain sizes of the films grown by the new method are very small (10-30 nm) and are much smoother (20-40 nm, root mean square) than those of films grown by the conventional H{sub 2}-CH{sub 4} microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition process. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the grain boundaries of these films are very sharp and free of nondiamond phases. The microcrystalline diamond films grown by most conventional methods consist of large grains and a rough surface finish, which can cause severe abrasion during sliding against other materials. The friction coefficients of films grown by the new method (i.e. in Ar-C{sub 60} and Ar-CH{sub 4} plasmas) are comparable with those of natural diamond, and wear damage on counterface materials is minimal. Fundamental tribological studies indicate that these films may undergo phase transformation during long-duration, high-speed and/or high-load sliding tests and that the transformation products trapped at the sliding interfaces can intermittently dominate friction and wear performance. Using results from a combination of TEM, electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy, we describe the structural chemistry of the debris particles trapped at the sliding interfaces and elucidate their possible effects on friction and wear of NCD films in dry N{sub 2}. Finally, we suggest a few potential applications in which NCD films can improve performance and service lives. (orig.)

Tailored piezoelectric thin films for energy harvester

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wan, X.

2013-01-01

Piezoelectric materials are excellent materials to transfer mechanical energy into electrical energy, which can be stored and used to power other devices. PiezoMEMS is a good way to combine silicon wafer processing and piezoelectric thin film technology and lead to a variety of miniaturized and

Hemicelluloses/montmorillonite hybrid films with improved mechanical and barrier properties

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ge-Gu; Qi, Xian-Ming; Li, Ming-Peng; Guan, Ying; Bian, Jing; Peng, Feng; Yao, Chun-Li; Sun, Run-Cang

2015-11-01

A facile and environmentally friendly method was introduced to incorporate montmorillonite (MMT) as an inorganic phase into quaternized hemicelluloses (QH) for forming hemicellulose-based films. Two fillers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitin nanowhiskers (NCH), were added into the hemicelluloses/MMT hybrid matrices to prepare hybrid films, respectively. The hybrid films were nanocomposites with nacre-like structure and multifunctional characteristics including higher strength and good oxygen barrier properties via the electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. The addition of PVA and NCH could induce changes in surface topography, and effectively enhance mechanical strength, thermal stability, transparency, and oxygen barrier properties. The tensile strengths of the composite films FPVA(0.3), FPVA(0.5), and FNCH(0.8) were 53.7, 46.3, and 50.1 MPa, respectively, which were 171%, 134%, and 153% larger than the FQH-MMT film (19.8 MPa). The tensile strength, and oxygen transmission rate of QH-MMT-PVA film were better than those of quaternized hemicelluloses/MMT films. Thus, the proper filler is very important for the strength of the hybrid film. These results provide insights into the understanding of the structural relationships of hemicellulose-based composite films in coating and packaging application for the future.

A review of vibration-based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saadon, Salem; Sidek, Othman [Collaborative Microelectronic Design Excellence Center (CEDEC), School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia)

2011-01-15

The simplicity associated with the piezoelectric micro-generators makes it very attractive for MEMS applications, especially for remote systems. In this paper we reviewed the work carried out by researchers during the last three years. The improvements in experimental results obtained in the vibration-based MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters show very good scope for MEMS piezoelectric harvesters in the field of power MEMS in the near future. (author)

Preparation and properties of a drug sustained-release hydrogel film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue Ling; Yang Zhanshan; Yang Shuqin; Li Qinghua

2009-01-01

A hydrogel film of drug sustained-release was prepared to accelerate wound healing. The hydrogel films containing drug or not were prepared by the freezing and thawing process. Their properties such as the physicochemical property and the drug release behavior in vitro were studied. Effect of the freezing and thawing process on antimicrobial efficacy of the gentamicin was evaluated by diffusion method. The results indicate that swelling ratio of the hydrogel films freezed for 4h is 841.21% and their gel fraction, tensile strength and elongation at break is 96.10%, 0.222 MPa and 673.50% respectively. The antimicrobial efficacy of the gentamicin has no change. The hydrogel film contained gentamicin releases the antibiotic to peak during 6 h with the cumulative drug release rate of 59.57%. The drug releases continually up to the 5th day. The drug delivery conforms to Higuchi kinetic equation, and mechanism of the drug release is matrix diffusion. The results show that the hydrogel film prepared by the freezing and thawing process display satisfactory physicochemical properties and can be used as a drug delivery system. (authors)

Synthesis and luminescent properties of PEO/lanthanide oxide nanoparticle hybrid films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goubard, F. [LPPI, Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 Mail Gay-Lussac, Neuville-sur-Oise, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise cedex (France)]. E-mail: fabrice.goubard@u-cergy.fr; Vidal, F. [LPPI, Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 Mail Gay-Lussac, Neuville-sur-Oise, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise cedex (France); Bazzi, R. [LPCML, Universite Lyon 1, 43 Bd. du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne (France); Tillement, O. [LPCML, Universite Lyon 1, 43 Bd. du 11 Novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne (France); Nano-H, 23 rue Royal, 69001 Lyon (France); Chevrot, C. [LPPI, Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 Mail Gay-Lussac, Neuville-sur-Oise, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise cedex (France); Teyssie, D. [LPPI, Universite de Cergy-Pontoise, 5 Mail Gay-Lussac, Neuville-sur-Oise, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise cedex (France)

2007-10-15

In this study, we investigate the optical properties of lanthanide oxide nanoparticles dispersed in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) network as thermally stable polymeric films. The aim of this work is both to keep a good optical transparency in the visible domain and to obtain luminescent materials after incorporation of nanoparticles. For this purpose, we develop luminescent nanocrystals of oxides containing terbium ion as a doping element in Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}. These sub-5-nm lanthanide oxides nanoparticles have been prepared by direct oxide precipitation in high-boiling polyalcohol solutions and characterized by luminescence spectroscopy. PEO/lanthanide oxide nanohybrid films are prepared by radical polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate after introduction of lanthanide oxide particles. As a first result; the obtained films present interesting luminescence properties with a very low lanthanide oxide content (up to 0.29 wt%). Furthermore, these films are still transparent and keep their original mechanical properties. Prior to describe the specific applications to optical use, we report here the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and luminescent properties of. nanohybrid films.

Self-aligned 0-level sealing of MEMS devices by a two layer thin film reflow process

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rusu, C.R.; Jansen, Henricus V.; Gunn, R.; Witvrouw, A.

2003-01-01

Many micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) require a vacuum or controlled atmosphere encapsulation in order to ensure either a good performance or an acceptable lifetime of operation. Two approaches for wafer-scale zero-level packaging exist. The most popular approach is based on wafer bonding.

Physical and Degradable Properties of Mulching Films Prepared from Natural Fibers and Biodegradable Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhijian Tan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The use of plastic film in agriculture has the serious drawback of producing vast quantities of waste. In this work, films were prepared from natural fibers and biodegradable polymers as potential substitutes for the conventional non-biodegradable plastic film used as mulching material in agricultural production. The physical properties (e.g., mechanical properties, heat preservation, water permeability, and photopermeability and degradation characteristics (evaluated by micro-organic culture testing and soil burial testing of the films were studied in both laboratory and field tests. The experimental results indicated that these fiber/polymer films exhibited favorable physical properties that were sufficient for use in mulching film applications. Moreover, the degradation degree of the three tested films decreased in the following order: fiber/starch (ST film > fiber/poly(vinyl alcohol (PVA film > fiber/polyacrylate (PA film. The fiber/starch and fiber/PVA films were made from completely biodegradable materials and demonstrated the potential to substitute non-biodegradable films.

Integration of nanostructured materials with MEMS microhotplate platforms to enhance chemical sensor performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benkstein, Kurt D.; Martinez, Carlos J.; Li, Guofeng; Meier, Douglas C.; Montgomery, Christopher B.; Semancik, Steve

2006-01-01

The development of miniaturized chemical sensors is an increasingly active area of research. Such devices, particularly when they feature low mass and low power budgets, can impact a broad range of applications including industrial process monitoring, building security and extraterrestrial exploration. Nanostructured materials, because of their high surface area, can provide critical enhancements in the performance of chemical microsensors. We have worked to integrate nanomaterial films with MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) microhotplate platforms developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in order to gain the benefits of both the materials and the platforms in high-performance chemical sensor arrays. Here, we describe our success in overcoming the challenges of integration and the benefits that we have achieved with regard to the critical sensor performance characteristics of sensor response, speed, stability and selectivity. Nanostructured metal oxide sensing films were locally deposited onto microhotplates via chemical vapor deposition and microcapillary pipetting, and conductive polymer nanoparticle films were deposited via electrophoretic patterning. All films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and evaluated as conductometric gas sensors

Aroma barrier properties of sodium caseinate-based films.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabra, Maria José; Hambleton, Alicia; Talens, Pau; Debeaufort, Fréderic; Chiralt, Amparo; Voilley, Andrée

2008-05-01

The mass transport of six different aroma compounds (ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, 2-hexanone, 1-hexanol, and cis-3-hexenol) through sodium caseinate-based films with different oleic acid (OA)/beeswax (BW) ratio has been studied. OA is less efficient than BW in reducing aroma permeability, which can be attributed to its greater polarity. Control film (without lipid) and films prepared with 0:100 OA/BW ratio show the lowest permeability. OA involves a decrease in aroma barrier properties of the sodium caseinate-based films due to its plasticization ability. Preferential sorption and diffusion occurs through OA instead of caseinate matrix and/or BW. The efficiency of sodium caseinate-based films to retain or limit aroma compound transfers depend on the affinity of the volatile compound to the films, which relates physicochemical interaction between volatile compound and film. Specific interactions (aroma compound-hydrocolloid and aroma compound-lipid) induce structural changes during mass transfer.

System-Level Modelling and Simulation of MEMS-Based Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Virk, Kashif M.; Madsen, Jan; Shafique, Mohammad

2005-01-01

The growing complexity of MEMS devices and their increased used in embedded systems (e.g., wireless integrated sensor networks) demands a disciplined aproach for MEMS design as well as the development of techniques for system-level modeling of these devices so that a seamless integration with the......The growing complexity of MEMS devices and their increased used in embedded systems (e.g., wireless integrated sensor networks) demands a disciplined aproach for MEMS design as well as the development of techniques for system-level modeling of these devices so that a seamless integration...... with the existing embedded system design methodologies is possible. In this paper, we present a MEMS design methodology that uses VHDL-AMS based system-level model of a MEMS device as a starting point and combines the top-down and bottom-up design approaches for design, verification, and optimization...

Effect of amylose:amylopectin ratio and rice bran addition on starch films properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Cano, Amalia; Jiménez, Alberto; Cháfer, Maite; Gónzalez, Chelo; Chiralt, Amparo

2014-10-13

The influence of the amylose:amylopectin ratio on the properties of pea, potato and cassava starch films and the effect of the incorporation of rice bran of two different particle sizes were studied. The structural, mechanical, optical and barrier properties of the films were analyzed after 1 and 5 weeks. The high content of amylose gave rise to stiffer, more resistant to fracture, but less stretchable films, with lower oxygen permeability and greater water binding capacity. Although no changes in the water vapour permeability values of the films were observed during storage, their oxygen permeability decreased. Throughout storage, films became stiffer, more resistant to break, but less stretchable. Rice bran with the smallest particles improved the elastic modulus of the films, especially in high amylose content films, but reduced the film stretchability and its barrier properties, due to the enhancement of the water binding capacity and the introduction of discontinuities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MEMS based Low Cost Piezoresistive Microcantilever Force Sensor and Sensor Module.

Science.gov (United States)

Pandya, H J; Kim, Hyun Tae; Roy, Rajarshi; Desai, Jaydev P

2014-03-01

In the present work, we report fabrication and characterization of a low-cost MEMS based piezoresistive micro-force sensor with SU-8 tip using laboratory made silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. To prepare SOI wafer, silicon film (0.8 µm thick) was deposited on an oxidized silicon wafer using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The films were deposited in Argon (Ar) ambient without external substrate heating. The material characteristics of the sputtered deposited silicon film and silicon film annealed at different temperatures (400-1050°C) were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The residual stress of the films was measured as a function of annealing temperature. The stress of the as-deposited films was observed to be compressive and annealing the film above 1050°C resulted in a tensile stress. The stress of the film decreased gradually with increase in annealing temperature. The fabricated cantilevers were 130 µm in length, 40 µm wide and 1.0 µm thick. A series of force-displacement curves were obtained using fabricated microcantilever with commercial AFM setup and the data were analyzed to get the spring constant and the sensitivity of the fabricated microcantilever. The measured spring constant and sensitivity of the sensor was 0.1488N/m and 2.7mV/N. The microcantilever force sensor was integrated with an electronic module that detects the change in resistance of the sensor with respect to the applied force and displays it on the computer screen.

Strain dependent magnetic properties of LSMO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prajapat, C.L.; Gupta, N.; Singh, M.R.; Mishra, P.K.; Gupta, S.K.; Ravikumar, G.; Bhattacharya, D.; Singh, Surendra; Basu, S.; Roul, B.K.

2014-01-01

Perovskite manganites exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) are ideal candidates for growth of epitaxial multilayers with oxide high temperature superconductors owing to their structural similarity and comparable growth conditions. They are widely employed in studies on superconductor/ferromagnet-superlattices. Among the manganites, La 2/3 Sr 1/3 MnO 3 (LSMO) has one of the highest FM transition temperatures (above 300K). Magnetic properties of films that are dependent on strain (such as coercivity) can be tuned by varying deposition conditions, by using different substrates and varying thickness of films in nano range. Lattice mismatch between LSMO with STO and MgO substrates are 0.6% and 8% respectively. This mismatch produces tensile strain in LSMO films and changes its magnetic properties. We study the change in magnetic properties of epitaxial LSMO thin films on MgO (100) and STO (100) substrates with varying thickness to change the strain in the film. LSMO films are prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Ethanol vapour sensing properties of screen printed WO 3 thick films

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The ethanol vapour sensing properties of these thick films were investigated at different operating temperatures and ethanol vapour concentrations. The WO3 thick films exhibit excellent ethanol vapour sensing properties with a maximum sensitivity of ∼1424.6% at 400°C in air atmosphere with fast response and recovery ...

Antimicrobial, Optical and Mechanical Properties of Chitosan-Starch Films with Natural Extracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lozano-Navarro, Jessica I; Díaz-Zavala, Nancy P; Velasco-Santos, Carlos; Martínez-Hernández, Ana L; Tijerina-Ramos, Beatriz I; García-Hernández, Margarita; Rivera-Armenta, José L; Páramo-García, Ulises; Reyes-de la Torre, Adriana I

2017-05-05

Natural extracts possess several kinds of antioxidants (anthocyanins, betalains, thymol, carvacrol, and resveratrol) that have also demonstrated antimicrobial properties. In order to study these properties, extracts from cranberry, blueberry, beetroot, pomegranate, oregano, pitaya, and resveratrol (from grapes) were obtained. Growth inhibition tests of mesophilic aerobes, coliforms, and fungi were conducted in films prepared from the extracts in accordance with Mexican Official Norms (NOM). Optical properties such as transparency and opacity, mechanical properties, and pH were also analyzed in these materials. The films with beetroot, cranberry, and blueberry extracts demonstrated the best antimicrobial activity against various bacteria and fungi in comparison with unmodified chitosan-starch film. This study shows that the addition of antioxidants improved the antimicrobial performance of these films. It was also found that antimicrobial properties are inherent to the films. These polymers combined with the extracts effectively inhibit or reduce microorganism growth from human and environmental contact; therefore, previous sterilization could be unnecessary in comparison with traditional plastics. The presence of extracts decreased transmittance percentages at 280 and 400 nm, as well as the transparency values, while increasing their opacity values, providing better UV-VIS light barrier properties. Despite diminished glass transition temperatures ( T g), the values obtained are still adequate for food packaging applications.

Antimicrobial, Optical and Mechanical Properties of Chitosan–Starch Films with Natural Extracts

Science.gov (United States)

Lozano-Navarro, Jessica I.; Díaz-Zavala, Nancy P.; Velasco-Santos, Carlos; Martínez-Hernández, Ana L.; Tijerina-Ramos, Beatriz I.; García-Hernández, Margarita; Rivera-Armenta, José L.; Páramo-García, Ulises; Reyes-de la Torre, Adriana I.

2017-01-01

Natural extracts possess several kinds of antioxidants (anthocyanins, betalains, thymol, carvacrol, and resveratrol) that have also demonstrated antimicrobial properties. In order to study these properties, extracts from cranberry, blueberry, beetroot, pomegranate, oregano, pitaya, and resveratrol (from grapes) were obtained. Growth inhibition tests of mesophilic aerobes, coliforms, and fungi were conducted in films prepared from the extracts in accordance with Mexican Official Norms (NOM). Optical properties such as transparency and opacity, mechanical properties, and pH were also analyzed in these materials. The films with beetroot, cranberry, and blueberry extracts demonstrated the best antimicrobial activity against various bacteria and fungi in comparison with unmodified chitosan–starch film. This study shows that the addition of antioxidants improved the antimicrobial performance of these films. It was also found that antimicrobial properties are inherent to the films. These polymers combined with the extracts effectively inhibit or reduce microorganism growth from human and environmental contact; therefore, previous sterilization could be unnecessary in comparison with traditional plastics. The presence of extracts decreased transmittance percentages at 280 and 400 nm, as well as the transparency values, while increasing their opacity values, providing better UV–VIS light barrier properties. Despite diminished glass transition temperatures (Tg), the values obtained are still adequate for food packaging applications. PMID:28475151

Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS and nanodevices: reliability, testing, and characterization aspects

Science.gov (United States)

Tekin, Tolga; Ngo, Ha-Duong; Wittler, Olaf; Bouhlal, Bouchaib; Lang, Klaus-Dieter

2011-02-01

The last decade witnessed an explosive growth in research and development efforts devoted to MEMS devices and packaging. The successfully developed MEMS devices are, for example inkjet, pressure sensors, silicon microphones, accelerometers, gyroscopes, MOEMS, micro fuel cells and emerging MEMS. For the next decade, MEMS/MOEMS and nanodevice based products will penetrate into IT, telecommunications, automotive, defense, life sciences, medical and implantable applications. Forecasts say the MEMS market to be $14 billion by 2012. The packaging cost of MEMS/MOEMS products in general is about 70 percent. Unlike today's electronics IC packaging, their packaging are custom-built and difficult due to the moving structural elements. In order for the moving elements of a MEMS device to move effectively in a well-controlled atmosphere, hermetic sealing of the MEMS device in a cap is necessary. For some MEMS devices, such as resonators and gyroscopes, vacuum packaging is required. Usually, the cap is processed at the wafer level, and thus MEMS packaging is truly a wafer level packaging. In terms of MEMS/MOEMS and nanodevice packaging, there are still many critical issues need to be addressed due to the increasing integration density supported by 3D heterogeneous integration of multi-physic components/layers consisting of photonics, electronics, rf, plasmonics, and wireless. The infrastructure of MEMS/MOEMS and nanodevices and their packaging is not well established yet. Generic packaging platform technologies are not available. Some of critical issues have been studied intensively in the last years. In this paper we will discuss about processes, reliability, testing and characterization of MEMS/MOEMS and nanodevice packaging.

Mechanical and thermal properties of irradiated films based on Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) proteins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabato, S.F. [Radiation Technology Center, IPEN-CNEN/SP, Av. Lineu Prestes 2242, 05508 900 Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], E-mail: sfsabato@ipen.br; Nakamurakare, N.; Sobral, P.J.A. [Food Engineering Department, ZEA/FZEA/USP, Av. Duque de Caxias Norte 225, 13635 900 Pirassununga, SP (Brazil)

2007-11-15

Proteins are considered potential material in natural films as alternative to traditional packaging. When gamma radiation is applied to protein film forming solution it resulted in an improvement in mechanical properties of whey protein films. The objective of this work was the characterization of mechanical and thermal properties of irradiated films based on muscle proteins from Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The films were prepared according to a casting technique with two levels of plasticizer: 25% and 45% glycerol and irradiated in electron accelerator type Radiation Dynamics, 0.550 MeV at dose range from 0 to 200 kGy. Thermal properties and mechanical properties were determined using a differential scanning calorimeter and a texture analyzer, respectively. Radiation from electron beam caused a slightly increase on its tensile strength characteristic at 100 kGy, while elongation value at this dose had no reduction.

Mechanical and thermal properties of irradiated films based on Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabato, S.F.; Nakamurakare, N.; Sobral, P.J.A.

2007-01-01

Proteins are considered potential material in natural films as alternative to traditional packaging. When gamma radiation is applied to protein film forming solution it resulted in an improvement in mechanical properties of whey protein films. The objective of this work was the characterization of mechanical and thermal properties of irradiated films based on muscle proteins from Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The films were prepared according to a casting technique with two levels of plasticizer: 25% and 45% glycerol and irradiated in electron accelerator type Radiation Dynamics, 0.550 MeV at dose range from 0 to 200 kGy. Thermal properties and mechanical properties were determined using a differential scanning calorimeter and a texture analyzer, respectively. Radiation from electron beam caused a slightly increase on its tensile strength characteristic at 100 kGy, while elongation value at this dose had no reduction

Temperature dependent thermoelectric properties of chemically derived gallium zinc oxide thin films

KAUST Repository

Barasheed, Abeer Z.; Sarath Kumar, S. R.; Alshareef, Husam N.

2013-01-01

In this study, the temperature dependent thermoelectric properties of sol-gel prepared ZnO and 3% Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films have been explored. The power factor of GZO films, as compared to ZnO, is improved by nearly 17% at high temperature. A stabilization anneal, prior to thermoelectric measurements, in a strongly reducing Ar/H2 (95/5) atmosphere at 500°C was found to effectively stabilize the chemically derived films, practically eliminating hysteresis during thermoelectric measurements. Subtle changes in the thermoelectric properties of stabilized films have been correlated to oxygen vacancies and excitonic levels that are known to exist in ZnO-based thin films. The role of Ga dopants and defects, formed upon annealing, in driving the observed complex temperature dependence of the thermoelectric properties is discussed. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013.

A luta armada no cinema: ficção, documentário, memória.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cecília Ferreira De Nichile

2016-08-01

Full Text Available No livro A luta armada no cinema: ficção, documentário, memória, Fernando Seliprandy analisa dois filme, O que é isso Companheiro? (1996 e Hércules 56 (2006, que narram um mesmo evento: o sequestro do embaixador norte americano Charles Burke Elbrick, realizado pela ação guerrilheira em curso no Brasil no ano de 1969. Com a descrição do material audiovisual, o livro pretende apreender o uso da imagem fílmica na construção da memória histórica, bem como intenta chegar a possíveis conclusões historiográficas pela observação das relações entre o que é mostrado no discurso cinematográfico e aquilo que está além da narrativa, na conjuntura histórica da qual essas fitas emergiram.

Design and characterization of chitosan/zeolite composite films — Effect of zeolite type and zeolite dose on the film properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa, Gustavo P.; Debone, Henrique S.; Severino, Patrícia; Souto, Eliana B.; Silva, Classius F. da

2016-01-01

Chitosan films can be used as wound dressings for the treatment of chronic wounds and severe burns. The antimicrobial properties of these films may be enhanced by the addition of silver. Despite the antimicrobial activity of silver, several studies have reported the cytotoxicity as a factor limiting its biomedical applications. This problem may, however, be circumvented by the provision of sustained release of silver. Silver zeolites can be used as drug delivery platforms to extend the release of silver. The objective of this study was to evaluate the addition of clinoptilolite and A-type zeolites in chitosan films. Sodium zeolites were initially subjected to ion-exchange in a batch reactor. Films were prepared by casting technique using a 2% w/w chitosan solution and two zeolite doses (0.1 or 0.2% w/w). Films were characterized by thermal analysis, color analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and water vapor permeation. The results showed that films present potential for application as dressing. The water vapor permeability is one of the main properties in wound dressings, the best results were obtained for A-type zeolite/chitosan films, which presented a brief reduction of this property in relation to zeolite-free chitosan film. On the other hand, the films containing clinoptilolite showed lower water vapor permeation, which may be also explained by the best distribution of the particles into the polymer which also promoted greater thermal resistance. - Highlights: • Zeolite/chitosan composite films were prepared by casting technique. • Micrographs showed slight difference according to the content and A-type zeolite. • The barrier properties of the films were suitable to the dressing application. • Film characterization suggested that zeolites interacted with the chitosan chain.

Design and characterization of chitosan/zeolite composite films — Effect of zeolite type and zeolite dose on the film properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbosa, Gustavo P.; Debone, Henrique S. [Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema (Brazil); Severino, Patrícia [Universidade Tiradentes, Instituto de Tecnologia e Pesquisa, Aracaju (Brazil); Souto, Eliana B. [Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra (FFUC), Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548, Coimbra (Portugal); Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology & Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (CNC-IBILI), University of Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548, Coimbra (Portugal); Silva, Classius F. da, E-mail: cfsilva@unifesp.br [Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema (Brazil)

2016-03-01

Chitosan films can be used as wound dressings for the treatment of chronic wounds and severe burns. The antimicrobial properties of these films may be enhanced by the addition of silver. Despite the antimicrobial activity of silver, several studies have reported the cytotoxicity as a factor limiting its biomedical applications. This problem may, however, be circumvented by the provision of sustained release of silver. Silver zeolites can be used as drug delivery platforms to extend the release of silver. The objective of this study was to evaluate the addition of clinoptilolite and A-type zeolites in chitosan films. Sodium zeolites were initially subjected to ion-exchange in a batch reactor. Films were prepared by casting technique using a 2% w/w chitosan solution and two zeolite doses (0.1 or 0.2% w/w). Films were characterized by thermal analysis, color analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and water vapor permeation. The results showed that films present potential for application as dressing. The water vapor permeability is one of the main properties in wound dressings, the best results were obtained for A-type zeolite/chitosan films, which presented a brief reduction of this property in relation to zeolite-free chitosan film. On the other hand, the films containing clinoptilolite showed lower water vapor permeation, which may be also explained by the best distribution of the particles into the polymer which also promoted greater thermal resistance. - Highlights: • Zeolite/chitosan composite films were prepared by casting technique. • Micrographs showed slight difference according to the content and A-type zeolite. • The barrier properties of the films were suitable to the dressing application. • Film characterization suggested that zeolites interacted with the chitosan chain.

Cellulose-glycerol-polyvinyl alcohol composite films for food packaging: Evaluation of water adsorption, mechanical properties, light-barrier properties and transparency.

Science.gov (United States)

Cazón, Patricia; Vázquez, Manuel; Velazquez, Gonzalo

2018-09-01

Nowadays consumers are aware of environmental problems. As an alternative to petrochemical polymers for food packaging, researchers have been focused on biopolymeric materials as raw material. The aim of this study was to evaluate mechanical properties (toughness, burst strength and distance to burst), water adsorption, light-barrier properties and transparency of composite films based on cellulose, glycerol and polyvinyl alcohol. Scanning electron microscopy, spectral analysis (FT-IR and UV-VIS-NIR) and differential scanning calorimetry were performed to explain the morphology, structural and thermal properties of the films. Results showed that polyvinyl alcohol enhances the toughness of films up to 44.30 MJ/m 3 . However, toughness decreases when glycerol concentration is increased (from 23.41 to 10.55 MJ/m 3 ). Water adsorption increased with increasing polyvinyl alcohol concentration up to 222%. Polyvinyl alcohol increased the film thickness. The films showed higher burst strength (up to 12014 g) than other biodegradable films. The films obtained have optimal values of transparency like those values of synthetic polymers. Glycerol produced a UV protective effect in the films, an important effect for food packaging to prevent lipid oxidative deterioration. Results showed that it is feasible to obtain cellulose-glycerol-polyvinyl alcohol composite films with improved properties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional properties of edible agar-based and starch-based films for food quality preservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, The D; Debeaufort, F; Luu, D; Voilley, A

2005-02-23

Edible films made of agar (AG), cassava starch (CAS), normal rice starch (NRS), and waxy (glutinous) rice starch (WRS) were elaborated and tested for a potential use as edible packaging or coating. Their water vapor permeabilities (WVP) were comparable with those of most of the polysaccharide-based films and with some protein-based films. Depending on the environmental moisture pressure, the WVP of the films varies and remains constant when the relative humidity (RH) is >84%. Equilibrium sorption isotherms of these films have been measured; the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) model was used to describe the sorption isotherm and contributed to a better knowledge of hydration properties. Surface hydrophobicity and wettability of these films were also investigated using the sessile drop contact angle method. The results obtained suggested the migration of the lipid fraction toward evaporation surface during film drying. Among these polysaccharide-based films, AG-based film and CAS-based film displayed more interesting mechanical properties: they are transparent, clear, homogeneous, flexible, and easily handled. NRS- and WRS-based films were relatively brittle and have a low tension resistance. Microstructure of film cross section was observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy to better understand the effect of the structure on the functional properties. The results suggest that AG-based film and CAS-based films, which show better functional properties, are promising systems to be used as food packaging or coating instead of NRS- and WRS-based films.

Properties of solid polymer electrolyte fluorocarbon film. [used in hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Alston, W. B.

1973-01-01

The ionic fluorocarbon film used as the solid polymer electrolyte in hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells was found to exhibit delamination failures. Polarized light microscopy of as-received film showed a lined region at the center of the film thickness. It is shown that these lines were not caused by incomplete saponification but probably resulted from the film extrusion process. The film lines could be removed by an annealing process. Chemical, physical, and tensile tests showed that annealing improved or sustained the water contents, spectral properties, thermo-oxidative stability, and tensile properties of the film. The resistivity of the film was significantly decreased by the annealing process.

Fabrication and characterization of implantable and flexible nerve cuff electrodes with Pt, Ir and IrOx films deposited by RF sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Soo Hyun; Jung, Jung Hwan; Chae, Youn Mee; Kang, Ji Yoon; Suh, Jun-Kyo Francis

2010-01-01

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of implantable and flexible nerve cuff electrodes for neural interfaces using the conventional BioMEMS technique. In order to fabricate a flexible nerve electrode, polyimide (PI) was chosen as the substrate material. Then, nerve electrodes were thermally re-formed in a cuff shape so as to increase the area in which the charges were transferred to the nerve. Platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir) and iridium oxide (IrO x ) films, which were to serve as conducting materials for the nerve electrodes, were deposited at different working pressures by RF magnetron sputtering. The electrochemical properties of the deposited films were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The charge delivery capacities of the films were recorded and calculated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The deposited films of Pt, Ir and IrO x have strong differences in electrochemical properties, which depend on the working pressure of sputter. Each film deposited at 30 mTorr of working pressure shows the highest value of charge delivery capacity (CDC). For the IrO x films, the electrochemical properties were strongly affected by the working pressure as well as the Ar:O 2 gas ratio. The IrO x film deposited with an Ar:O 2 gas ratio of 8:1 showed the highest CDC of 59.5 mC cm −2 , which was about five times higher than that of films deposited with a 1:1 gas ratio.

Improvement of physical properties of ZnO thin films by tellurium doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sönmezoğlu, Savaş, E-mail: svssonmezoglu@kmu.edu.tr; Akman, Erdi

2014-11-01

Highlights: • We report the synthesis of tellurium-doped zinc oxide (Te–ZnO) thin films using sol–gel method. • Highly c-axis oriented Te-doped ZnO thin films were grown on FTO glasses as substrate. • 1.5% Te-doping ratio could improve the physical properties of ZnO thin films. - Abstract: This investigation addressed the structural, optical and morphological properties of tellurium incorporated zinc oxide (Te–ZnO) thin films. The obtained results indicated that Te-doped ZnO thin films exhibit an enhancement of band gap energy and crystallinity compared with non-doped films. The optical transmission spectra revealed a shift in the absorption edge toward lower wavelengths. X-ray diffraction measurement demonstrated that the film was crystallized in the hexagonal (wurtzite) phase and presented a preferential orientation along the c-axis. The XRD obtained patterns indicate that the crystallite size of the thin films, ranging from 23.9 to 49.1 nm, changed with the Te doping level. The scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy results demonstrated that the grain size and surface roughness of the thin films increased as the Te concentration increased. Most significantly, we demonstrate that it is possible to control the structural, optical and morphological properties of ZnO thin films with the isoelectronic Te-incorporation level.

Nano-scale measurement of sub-micrometer MEMS in-plane dynamics using synchronized illumination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warnat, S; Forbrigger, C; Kujath, M; Hubbard, T

2015-01-01

A method for measuring the sub-micrometer in-plane dynamics of MEMS devices with nano-scale precision using a CCD camera and synchronized pulsating illumination is presented. Typical MEMS actuators have fast responses (generally in the 1–200 kHz range), much faster than typical cameras which record a time averaged motion. Under constant illumination the average displacement is steady state and independent of dynamic amplitude or phase. Methods such as strobe illumination use short light pulses to freeze the motion. This paper develops the use of longer pulses of illumination that do not freeze the image, but make the average displacement depend on dynamic amplitude and phase; thus allowing both properties to be extracted. The expected signal is derived as a function of light pulse width and delay, and short versus longer pulses are compared. Measurements using a conventional microscope with replacement of the lamp with LEDs confirmed the derived equations. The system was used to measure sub-micrometer motion of MEMS actuators with ∼5 nm precision. The time constant of a thermal actuator was measured and found to be 48 µs. A resonant peak of a MEMS device was measured at 123.30 kHz with an amplitude of 238 nm. (paper)

MEMS-Based Waste Vibrational Energy Harvesters

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-01

MEMS energy- harvesting device. Although PZT is used more prevalently due to its higher piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant, AlN has...7 1. Lead Zirconium Titanate ( PZT ) .........................................................7 2. Aluminum...Laboratory PiezoMUMPS Piezoelectric Multi-User MEMS Processes PZT Lead Zirconate Titanate SEM Scanning Electron Microscopy SiO2 Silicon

Infrared properties of the organic semiconductor MEM(TCNQ)2 in its high-temperature phase

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yartsev, V. M.; Jacobsen, Claus Schelde

1981-01-01

The infrared spectrum of N-methyl-N-ethylmorpholinium tetra-cyanoquinodimethane, MEM(TCNQ)2, at temperatures above the phase transition at T=335 K is reported. The oscillator strength associated with chargetransfer processes is shifted down in frequency as compared to the room-temperature phase. ...

Comparison of the Thermal Degradation of Heavily Nb-Doped and Normal PZT Thin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jeong-Suong; Kang, YunSung; Kang, Inyoung; Lim, SeungMo; Shin, Seung-Joo; Lee, JungWon; Hur, Kang Heon

2017-03-01

The degradation of niobium-doped lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and two types of PZT thin films were investigated. Undoped PZT, two-step PZT, and heavily Nb-doped PZT (PNZT) around the morphotropic phase boundary were in situ deposited under optimum condition by RF-magnetron sputtering. All 2- [Formula: see text]-thick films had dense perovskite columnar grain structure and self-polarized (100) dominant orientation. PZT thin films were deposited on Pt/TiO x bottom electrode on Si wafer, and PNZT thin film was on Ir/TiW electrode with the help of orientation control. Sputtered PZT films formed on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope and the degradation rates were compared at different temperatures. PNZT showed the best resistance to the thermal degradation, followed by two-step PZT. To clarify the effect of oxygen vacancies on the degradation of the film at high temperature, photoluminescence measurement was conducted, which confirmed that oxygen vacancy rate was the lowest in heavy PNZT. Nb-doping PZT thin films suppressed the oxygen deficit and made high imprint with self-polarization. This defect distribution and high internal field allowed PNZT thin film to make the piezoelectric sensors more stable and reliable at high temperature, such as reflow process of MEMS packaging.

Stability, Nonlinearity and Reliability of Electrostatically Actuated MEMS Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Di Chen

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Electrostatic micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS is a special branch with a wide range of applications in sensing and actuating devices in MEMS. This paper provides a survey and analysis of the electrostatic force of importance in MEMS, its physical model, scaling effect, stability, nonlinearity and reliability in detail. It is necessary to understand the effects of electrostatic forces in MEMS and then many phenomena of practical importance, such as pull-in instability and the effects of effective stiffness, dielectric charging, stress gradient, temperature on the pull-in voltage, nonlinear dynamic effects and reliability due to electrostatic forces occurred in MEMS can be explained scientifically, and consequently the great potential of MEMS technology could be explored effectively and utilized optimally. A simplified parallel-plate capacitor model is proposed to investigate the resonance response, inherent nonlinearity, stiffness softened effect and coupled nonlinear effect of the typical electrostatically actuated MEMS devices. Many failure modes and mechanisms and various methods and techniques, including materials selection, reasonable design and extending the controllable travel range used to analyze and reduce the failures are discussed in the electrostatically actuated MEMS devices. Numerical simulations and discussions indicate that the effects of instability, nonlinear characteristics and reliability subjected to electrostatic forces cannot be ignored and are in need of further investigation.

Sandia Agile MEMS Prototyping, Layout Tools, Education and Services Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schriner, H.; Davies, B.; Sniegowski, J.; Rodgers, M.S.; Allen, J.; Shepard, C.

1998-05-01

Research and development in the design and manufacture of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) is growing at an enormous rate. Advances in MEMS design tools and fabrication processes at Sandia National Laboratories` Microelectronics Development Laboratory (MDL) have broadened the scope of MEMS applications that can be designed and manufactured for both military and commercial use. As improvements in micromachining fabrication technologies continue to be made, MEMS designs can become more complex, thus opening the door to an even broader set of MEMS applications. In an effort to further research and development in MEMS design, fabrication, and application, Sandia National Laboratories has launched the Sandia Agile MEMS Prototyping, Layout Tools, Education and Services Program or SAMPLES program. The SAMPLES program offers potential partners interested in MEMS the opportunity to prototype an idea and produce hardware that can be used to sell a concept. The SAMPLES program provides education and training on Sandia`s design tools, analysis tools and fabrication process. New designers can participate in the SAMPLES program and design MEMS devices using Sandia`s design and analysis tools. As part of the SAMPLES program, participants` designs are fabricated using Sandia`s 4 level polycrystalline silicon surface micromachine technology fabrication process known as SUMMiT (Sandia Ultra-planar, Multi-level MEMS Technology). Furthermore, SAMPLES participants can also opt to obtain state of the art, post-fabrication services provided at Sandia such as release, packaging, reliability characterization, and failure analysis. This paper discusses the components of the SAMPLES program.

Sensitometric properties and image quality of radiographic film and paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domanus, J.C.

1985-01-01

When using X-ray film or radiographic paper for industrial applications one is interested in knowing not only their sensitometric properties (such as speed and contrast) but also the image quality obtainable with a particular brand of film or paper. Although standard methods for testing sensitometric properties and image quality separately are available, it is desirable to find a method by the use of which all the relevant properties could be tested together. The sensitometric properties are usually determined at constant kilovoltage and filtration at the X-ray tube, whereas the radiographic image quality is tested at different kilovoltages and for different material thicknesses

Políticas da estética no Brasil e Argentina: corpo, gênero e memória em Cabra Marcado para Morrer e La historia oficial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio Acuña

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Este artigo propõe uma análise comparada de dois filmes – a obra ficcional argentina dirigida por Luis Puenzo, La história oficial (1985, e o documentário brasileiro conduzido por Eduardo Coutinho, Cabra Marcado para Morrer (1984. A aproximação entre os filmes será mediada pelo problema da relação entre corpo feminino, memória, luto e imaginação nacional. Para sustentar a argumentação em torno do objeto empírico como base de uma reflexão político-estético-social – mobiliza-se uma teoria da imagem embasada no campo da antropologia visual na qual o cinema reapresenta realidades, ficcionaliza e elabora aspectos da história e da memória como forma de conhecimento e da experiência em si. O cinema, portanto, constitui história, conhecimento, experiência estética e social, conforme reivindica Jacques Rancière, filosofia de aporte fundamental ao longo o texto. Palavras-chave> cinema; corpo; memória; gênero; nação.

Preparation and physical properties of tara gum film reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Qianyun; Hu, Dongying; Wang, Lijuan

2016-05-01

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) prepared from microcrystalline cellulose were blended in tara gum solution to prepare nanocomposite films. The morphology, crystallinity, and thermal properties of the CNC and films were evaluated by using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The resultant CNC was rod-shaped with diameters of around 8.6 nm. The effect of CNC content on physical and thermal properties of films was studied. The composite film tensile strength increased from 27.86 to 65.73 MPa, elastic modulus increased from 160.98 MPa to 882.49 MPa and the contact angle increased from 55.8° to 98.7° with increasing CNC content from 0 to 6 wt%. However, CNC addition increased the thermal stability slightly and CNC content above 6 wt% decreased the tensile strength by CNC aggregation in the matrix. The nanocomposite film containing 6 wt% CNC possessed the highest light transmittance, mechanical properties, and lowest oxygen permeability. CNC addition is a suitable method to modify tara gum matrix polymer properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Nuclear Microbattery for MEMS Devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, James; Henderson, Douglass; Lal, Amit

2002-01-01

This project was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of producing on-board power for MEMS devices using radioisotopes. MEMS is a fast growing field, with hopes for producing a wide variety of revolutionary applications, including ''labs on a chip,'' micromachined scanning tunneling microscopes, microscopic detectors for biological agents, microsystems for DNA identification, etc. Currently, these applications are limited by the lack of an on-board power source. Research is ongoing to study approaches such as fuel cells, fossil fuels, and chemical batteries, but all these concepts have limitations. For long-lived, high energy density applications, on-board radioisotope power offers the best choice. We have succeeded in producing such devices using a variety of isotopes, incorporation methods, and device geometries. These experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of using radioisotope power and that there are a variety of options available for MEMS designers. As an example of an integrated, self-powered application, we have created an oscillating cantilever beam that is capable of consistent, periodic oscillations over very long time periods without the need for refueling. Ongoing work will demonstrate that this cantilever is capable of radio frequency transmission, allowing MEMS devices to communicate with one another wirelessly. Thus, this will be the first self-powered wireless transmitter available for use in MEMS devices, permitting such applications as sensors embedded in buildings for continuous monitoring of the building performance and integrity

Standard semiconductor packaging for high-reliability low-cost MEMS applications

Science.gov (United States)

Harney, Kieran P.

2005-01-01

Microelectronic packaging technology has evolved over the years in response to the needs of IC technology. The fundamental purpose of the package is to provide protection for the silicon chip and to provide electrical connection to the circuit board. Major change has been witnessed in packaging and today wafer level packaging technology has further revolutionized the industry. MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology has created new challenges for packaging that do not exist in standard ICs. However, the fundamental objective of MEMS packaging is the same as traditional ICs, the low cost and reliable presentation of the MEMS chip to the next level interconnect. Inertial MEMS is one of the best examples of the successful commercialization of MEMS technology. The adoption of MEMS accelerometers for automotive airbag applications has created a high volume market that demands the highest reliability at low cost. The suppliers to these markets have responded by exploiting standard semiconductor packaging infrastructures. However, there are special packaging needs for MEMS that cannot be ignored. New applications for inertial MEMS devices are emerging in the consumer space that adds the imperative of small size to the need for reliability and low cost. These trends are not unique to MEMS accelerometers. For any MEMS technology to be successful the packaging must provide the basic reliability and interconnection functions, adding the least possible cost to the product. This paper will discuss the evolution of MEMS packaging in the accelerometer industry and identify the main issues that needed to be addressed to enable the successful commercialization of the technology in the automotive and consumer markets.

Effect of potassium sorbate on antimicrobial and physical properties of starch-clay nanocomposite films.

Science.gov (United States)

Barzegar, Hassan; Azizi, Mohammad Hossein; Barzegar, Mohsen; Hamidi-Esfahani, Zohreh

2014-09-22

Using fresh foods which undergo the least processing operations developed widely in recent years. Active packaging is a novel method for preserving these products. Active starch-clay nanocomposite films which contained potassium sorbate (PS) at a level of 0, 5, 7.5 and 10 g PS/100 g starch were produced and their physical, mechanical and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. In order to evaluate antimicrobial properties of films Aspergillus niger was used. The results showed that 5% of the PS did not produce antimicrobial property in the film, but by increasing the content of the additive in film formulation, antimicrobial effect increased. PS increased water permeability and elongation at break of the films, but decreased tensile strength. The rate of PS migration into the semi-solid medium in starch-nanocomposites was lower than starch films. This shows that nanocomposite films could retain their antimicrobial property for longer time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating ESD sensitivity in electrostatic SiGe MEMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sangameswaran, Sandeep; De Coster, Jeroen; Linten, Dimitri; Scholz, Mirko; Thijs, Steven; Groeseneken, Guido; De Wolf, Ingrid

2010-01-01

The sensitivity of electrostatically actuated SiGe microelectromechanical systems to electrostatic discharge events has been investigated in this paper. Torsional micromirrors and RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators have been used as two case studies to perform this study. On-wafer electrostatic discharge (ESD) measurement methods, such as the human body model (HBM) and machine model (MM), are discussed. The impact of HBM ESD zap tests on the functionality and behavior of MEMS is explained and the ESD failure levels of MEMS have been verified by failure analysis. It is demonstrated that electrostatic MEMS devices have a high sensitivity to ESD and that it is essential to protect them.

Starch behaviors and mechanical properties of starch blend films with different plasticizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen Vu, Hoang Phuong; Lumdubwong, Namfone

2016-12-10

The main objective of the study was to gain insight into structural and mechanical starch behaviors of the plasticized starch blend films. Mechanical properties and starch behaviors of cassava (CS)/and mungbean (MB) (50/50, w/w) starch blend films containing glycerol (Gly) or sorbitol (Sor) at 33% weight content were investigated. It was found that tensile strength TS and %E of the Gly-CSMB films were similar to those of MB films; but%E of all Sor-films was identical. TS of plasticized films increased when AM content and crystallinity increased. When Sor was substituted for Gly, crystallinity of starch films and their TS increased. The CSMB and MB films had somewhat a similar molecular profile and comparable mechanical properties. Therefore, it was proposed the starch molecular profile containing amylopectin with high M¯w, low M¯w of amylose, and the small size of intermediates may impart the high TS and%E of starch films. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural, morphological and optical properties of thermal annealed TiO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zribi, M.; Kanzari, M.; Rezig, B.

2008-01-01

Structural, morphological and optical properties of TiO thin films grown by single source thermal evaporation method were studied. The films were annealed from 300 to 520 deg. C in air after evaporation. Qualitative film analysis was performed with X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and optical transmittance and reflectance spectra. A correlation was established between the optical properties, surface roughness and growth morphology of the evaporated TiO thin films. The X-ray diffraction spectra indicated the presence of the TiO 2 phase for the annealing temperature above 400 deg. C

Fracture properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Y.; King, S.W.; Bielefeld, J.; Xu, J.; Dauskardt, R.H.

2012-01-01

The cohesive fracture properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films in moist environments are reported. Films with stoichiometric compositions (C/Si ≈ 1) exhibited a decreasing cohesive fracture energy with decreasing film density similar to other silica-based hybrid organic–inorganic films. However, lower density a-SiC:H films with non-stoichiometric compositions (C/Si ≈ 5) exhibited much higher cohesive fracture energy than the films with higher density stoichiometric compositions. One of the non-stoichiometric films exhibited fracture energy (∼9.5 J m −2 ) greater than that of dense silica glasses. The increased fracture energy was due to crack-tip plasticity, as demonstrated by significant pileup formation during nanoindentation and a fracture energy dependence on film thickness. The a-SiC:H films also exhibited a very low sensitivity to moisture-assisted cracking compared with other silica-based hybrid films. A new atomistic fracture model is presented to describe the observed moisture-assisted cracking in terms of the limited Si-O-Si suboxide bond formation that occurs in the films.

Digital reflection holography based systems development for MEMS testing

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vijay Raj; Liansheng, Sui; Asundi, Anand

2010-05-01

MEMS are tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers and nanometers. Testing of MEMS device is an important part in carrying out their functional assessment and reliability analysis. Development of systems based on digital holography (DH) for MEMS inspection and characterization is presented in this paper. Two DH reflection systems, table-top and handheld types, are developed depending on the MEMS measurement requirements and their capabilities are presented. The methodologies for the systems are developed for 3D profile inspection and static & dynamic measurements, which is further integrated with in-house developed software that provides the measurement results in near real time. The applications of the developed systems are demonstrated for different MEMS devices for 3D profile inspection, static deformation/deflection measurements and vibration analysis. The developed systems are well suitable for the testing of MEMS and Microsystems samples, with full-field, static & dynamic inspection as well as to monitor micro-fabrication process.

MEMS Reliability: Infrastructure, Test Structures, Experiments, and Failure Modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

TANNER,DANELLE M.; SMITH,NORMAN F.; IRWIN,LLOYD W.; EATON,WILLIAM P.; HELGESEN,KAREN SUE; CLEMENT,J. JOSEPH; MILLER,WILLIAM M.; MILLER,SAMUEL L.; DUGGER,MICHAEL T.; WALRAVEN,JEREMY A.; PETERSON,KENNETH A.

2000-01-01

The burgeoning new technology of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) shows great promise in the weapons arena. We can now conceive of micro-gyros, micro-surety systems, and micro-navigators that are extremely small and inexpensive. Do we want to use this new technology in critical applications such as nuclear weapons? This question drove us to understand the reliability and failure mechanisms of silicon surface-micromachined MEMS. Development of a testing infrastructure was a crucial step to perform reliability experiments on MEMS devices and will be reported here. In addition, reliability test structures have been designed and characterized. Many experiments were performed to investigate failure modes and specifically those in different environments (humidity, temperature, shock, vibration, and storage). A predictive reliability model for wear of rubbing surfaces in microengines was developed. The root causes of failure for operating and non-operating MEMS are discussed. The major failure mechanism for operating MEMS was wear of the polysilicon rubbing surfaces. Reliability design rules for future MEMS devices are established.

Effect of acid and alkaline solubilization on the properties of surimi based film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thummanoon Prodpran

2005-05-01

Full Text Available The effect of acid and alkaline solubilizing processes on the properties of the protein based film from threadfin bream surimi was investigated. Surimi films prepared from both processes had the similar light transmission, tensile strength (TS and elongation at break (EAB (P<0.05. However, film with alkaline process had slightly lower water vapor permeability (WVP, compared to that prepared by acid solubilizing process. The protein concentration in the film-forming solution directly affected the properties of the film. Increase in protein concentration resulted in an increase in TS, EAB as well as WVP. The film prepared by acid solubilizing process had an increase in yellowish color as evidenced by the continuous increase in b* and E* values during the storage at r oom temperature. The acid and alkali solubilizing processes caused the degradation of muscle protein in surimi, especially with increasing exposure time. Therefore, solubilizing process had the influence on the properties of the protein film from threadfin bream surimi.

Enhanced mechanical properties of hydrothermal carbamated cellulose nanocomposite film reinforced with graphene oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Sinyee; Zakaria, Sarani; Syed Jaafar, Sharifah Nabihah

2017-09-15

Cellulose carbamate (CC) was synthesized via hydrothermal process and mixed with graphene oxide (GO) to form a homogeneous cellulose matrix nanocomposite films. The properties of CC/GO nanocomposite films fabricated using simple solution-mixing method with different GO loadings were studied. Transmission electron microscope analysis showed the exfoliation of self-synthesized GO nanosheets within the CC matrix. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the crystalline structure of CC/GO films as the CC/GO mass ratio increased from 100/0 to 100/4. The mechanical properties of CC/GO film were significantly improved as compared to neat CC film. From thermogravimetric analysis result, the introduction of GO enhanced the thermal stability and carbon yields. The 3D homogeneous porous structures of the CC/GO films were observed under Field emission scanning electron microscope. These improvements in nanocomposite film properties could be confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy due to the strong and good interactions between CC and GO. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of film thickness on structural, optical, and electrical properties of spray deposited antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yadav, Abhijit A., E-mail: aay_physics@yahoo.co.in

2015-09-30

Transparent conducting antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films with varying thickness were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique from non-aqueous solvent Propan-2-ol. The effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction measurements showed tetragonal crystal structure of as-deposited antimony doped SnO{sub 2} films irrespective of film thickness. The surface morphology of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin film is spherical with the continuous distribution of grains. Electrical and optical properties were investigated by Hall Effect and optical measurements. The average optical transmittance of films decreased from 89% to 73% within the visible range (350–850 nm) with increase in film thickness. The minimum value of sheet resistance observed is 4.81 Ω/cm{sup 2}. The lowest resistivity found is 3.76 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm at 660 nm film thickness. - Highlights: • Effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO{sub 2} thin films • Crystalline size in the range of 34–37 nm • Average transmittance decreased from 89% to 73% in the visible region. • Minimum sheet resistance of 4.81 Ω/cm{sup 2} • Lowest resistivity is found to be 3.76 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm at 660 nm film thickness.

Effect of argon ion etching on the magnetic properties of FeCoB films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Junwei; Zhou, Kan; Yang, Yi; Tang, Dongming; Zhang, Baoshan, E-mail: malab@nju.edu.cn; Lu, Mu; Lu, Huaixian

2015-01-15

In this paper, a new method to modify Ta underlayers by an argon ion etching technology is introduced. Surface roughness of Ta underlayers, as well as soft magnetic properties of post-deposited FeCoB films can be improved by applying a proper ion etching process. The reduction of magnetic coercivity of FeCoB films deposited on the modified Ta underlayers is attributed to the improvement of interfacial roughness, which can reduce magnetic ripples in magnetic films. The microwave damping linewidth of magnetic films is also found to be related to the interfacial roughness. Ta underlayers modified by the ion etching can reduce the influence of two-magnon scattering effect, and thus tune microwave properties of magnetic films. All the results prove that argon ion etching is an effective way to tailor magnetic properties of magnetic films. - Highlights: • We believe that our method to tune the magnetic film properties will be interesting for general readers of Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. • In the paper, argon ion etching is applied to the Ta underlayer before the FeCoB film is deposited on it. • The modified interface roughness has effectively improved the magnetic properties, including the static magnetic and microwave performance. • The method is valuable for other underlayer/magnetic film systems.

Design and characterization of chitosan/zeolite composite films--Effect of zeolite type and zeolite dose on the film properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbosa, Gustavo P; Debone, Henrique S; Severino, Patrícia; Souto, Eliana B; da Silva, Classius F

2016-03-01

Chitosan films can be used as wound dressings for the treatment of chronic wounds and severe burns. The antimicrobial properties of these films may be enhanced by the addition of silver. Despite the antimicrobial activity of silver, several studies have reported the cytotoxicity as a factor limiting its biomedical applications. This problem may, however, be circumvented by the provision of sustained release of silver. Silver zeolites can be used as drug delivery platforms to extend the release of silver. The objective of this study was to evaluate the addition of clinoptilolite and A-type zeolites in chitosan films. Sodium zeolites were initially subjected to ion-exchange in a batch reactor. Films were prepared by casting technique using a 2% w/w chitosan solution and two zeolite doses (0.1 or 0.2% w/w). Films were characterized by thermal analysis, color analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and water vapor permeation. The results showed that films present potential for application as dressing. The water vapor permeability is one of the main properties in wound dressings, the best results were obtained for A-type zeolite/chitosan films, which presented a brief reduction of this property in relation to zeolite-free chitosan film. On the other hand, the films containing clinoptilolite showed lower water vapor permeation, which may be also explained by the best distribution of the particles into the polymer which also promoted greater thermal resistance.

Modification of thin film properties by ion bombardment during deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harper, J.M.E.; Cuomo, J.J.; Gambino, R.J.; Kaufman, H.R.

1984-01-01

Deposition methods involving ion bombardment are described, and the basic processes with which film properties are modified by ion bombardment are summarized. Examples of thin film property modification by ion bombardment during deposition, including effects which are primarily compositional as well as those which are primarily structural are presented. The examples demonstrate the usefulness of ion beam techniques in identifying and controlling the fundamental deposition parameters. 68 refs.; 15 figs.; 1 table

Stress effects in ferroelectric perovskite thin-films

Science.gov (United States)

Zednik, Ricardo Johann

The exciting class of ferroelectric materials presents the engineer with an array of unique properties that offer promise in a variety of applications; these applications include infra-red detectors ("night-vision imaging", pyroelectricity), micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS, piezoelectricity), and non-volatile memory (NVM, ferroelectricity). Realizing these modern devices often requires perovskite-based ferroelectric films thinner than 100 nm. Two such technologically important material systems are (Ba,Sr)TiO3 (BST), for tunable dielectric devices employed in wireless communications, and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT), for ferroelectric non-volatile memory (FeRAM). In general, the material behavior is strongly influenced by the mechanical boundary conditions imposed by the substrate and surrounding layers and may vary considerably from the known bulk behavior. A better mechanistic understanding of these effects is essential for harnessing the full potential of ferroelectric thin-films and further optimizing existing devices. Both materials share a common crystal structure and similar properties, but face unique challenges due to the design parameters of these different applications. Tunable devices often require very low dielectric loss as well as large dielectric tunability. Present results show that the dielectric response of BST thin-films can either resemble a dipole-relaxor or follow the accepted empirical Universal Relaxation Law (Curie-von Schweidler), depending on temperature. These behaviors in a single ferroelectric thin-film system are often thought to be mutually exclusive. In state-of-the-art high density FeRAM, the ferroelectric polarization is at least as important as the dielectric response. It was found that these properties are significantly affected by moderate biaxial tensile and compressive stresses which reversibly alter the ferroelastic domain populations of PZT at room temperature. The 90-degree domain wall motion observed by high resolution

Superconducting Properties of Lead-Bismuth Films Controlled by Ferromagnetic Nanowire Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Zuxin; Lyuksyutov, Igor F.; Wu, Wenhao; Naugle, Donald G.

2011-03-01

Superconducting properties of lead-bismuth (82% Pb and 18% Bi) alloy films deposited on ferromagnetic nanowire arrays have been investigated. Ferromagnetic Co or Ni nanowires are first electroplated into the columnar pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes. Superconducting Pb 82 Bi 18 films are then quench-condensed onto the polished surface of the AAO membranes filled with magnetic nanowires. A strong dependence of the Pb 82 Bi 18 superconducting properties on the ratio of the superconducting film thickness to the magnetic nanowire diameter and the material variety was observed.

Preparation, Structural and Dielectric Properties of Solution Grown Polyvinyl Alcohol(PVA) Film

Science.gov (United States)

Nangia, Rakhi; Shukla, Neeraj K.; Sharma, Ambika

2017-08-01

Flexible dielectrics with high permittivity have been investigated extensively due to their applications in electronic industry. In this work, structural and electrical characteristics of polymer based film have been analysed. Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) film was prepared by solution casting method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization technique is used to investigate the structural properties. The semi-crystalline nature has been determined by the analysis of the obtained XRD pattern. Electrical properties of the synthesized film have been analysed from the C-V and I-V curves obtained at various frequencies and temperatures. Low conductivity values confirm the insulating behaviour of the film. However, it is found that conductivity increases with temperature. Also, the dielectric permittivity is found to be higher at lower frequencies and higher temperatures, that proves PVA to be an excellent dielectric material which can be used in interface electronics. Dielectric behaviour of the film has been explained based on dipole orientations to slow and fast varying electric field. However further engineering can be done to modulate the structural, electrical properties of the film.

High Volume Manufacturing and Field Stability of MEMS Products

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Jack

Low volume MEMS/NEMS production is practical when an attractive concept is implemented with business, manufacturing, packaging, and test support. Moving beyond this to high volume production adds requirements on design, process control, quality, product stability, market size, market maturity, capital investment, and business systems. In a broad sense, this chapter uses a case study approach: It describes and compares the silicon-based MEMS accelerometers, pressure sensors, image projection systems, and gyroscopes that are in high volume production. Although they serve several markets, these businesses have common characteristics. For example, the manufacturing lines use automated semiconductor equipment and standard material sets to make consistent products in large quantities. Standard, well controlled processes are sometimes modified for a MEMS product. However, novel processes that cannot run with standard equipment and material sets are avoided when possible. This reliance on semiconductor tools, as well as the organizational practices required to manufacture clean, particle-free products partially explains why the MEMS market leaders are integrated circuit manufacturers. There are other factors. MEMS and NEMS are enabling technologies, so it can take several years for high volume applications to develop. Indeed, market size is usually a strong function of price. This becomes a vicious circle, because low price requires low cost - a result that is normally achieved only after a product is in high volume production. During the early years, IC companies reduced cost and financial risk by using existing facilities for low volume MEMS production. As a result, product architectures are partially determined by capabilities developed for previous products. This chapter includes a discussion of MEMS product architecture with particular attention to the impact of electronic integration, packaging, and surfaces. Packaging and testing are critical, because they are

Nanocomposites biodegradable coating on BOPET films to enhance hot seal strength properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbaro, G.; Galdi, M. R.; Di Maio, L.; Incarnato, L.

2015-01-01

The coating technology is a strategic solution to improve the properties of flexible packaging films. Indeed, additional functional layers are often designed and added as coating on the substrate, in order to improve the characteristic of the flexible packaging and to meet the requirements for the desired gas or vapour barrier, for adhesion and sealing, or for improving the film printability, its aesthetics and durability. Moreover, this technology allows to functionalize a polymeric substrate applying materials with different chemistry, rheology, thermal and structural characteristics. BOPET films are widely used for food packaging applications thanks to their good gas barrier and mechanical properties, high transparency and for the excellent printability. In regard to sealing performance, BOPET films show poor sealing properties so they are mostly submitted to lamination processes with polyethylene. Nevertheless, this solution compromises the PET recyclability and influences the gas permeability of the multilayer PET based structures. The aim of this work is to investigate on the effect of nanocomposite biodegradable coatings for BOPET substrates in enhancing the heat sealing strength of eco-compatible PET/PLA films. At this regards, different percentages of Cloisite C30B (0%, 2% and 4% wt/wt ) have been added to PLA by solution intercalation technique and the nanocomposite biodegradable materials produced have been applied on BOPET commercial films by casting. The BOPET coated films have been characterized in order to evaluate the heat sealing strength and the mechanical, gas permeability and surface properties. The results have shown that the addition of nanoclay in PLA coating significantly enhance the hot tack properties of the PET/PLA system produced, while the oxygen and water vapour permeability are slightly increased if compared to pure BOPET films

Nanocomposites biodegradable coating on BOPET films to enhance hot seal strength properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbaro, G., E-mail: giovannibarbaro@email.it; Galdi, M. R., E-mail: mrgaldi@unisa.it; Di Maio, L., E-mail: ldimaio@unisa.it; Incarnato, L., E-mail: lincarnato@unisa.it [Industrial Engineering Department, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano (Italy)

2015-12-17

The coating technology is a strategic solution to improve the properties of flexible packaging films. Indeed, additional functional layers are often designed and added as coating on the substrate, in order to improve the characteristic of the flexible packaging and to meet the requirements for the desired gas or vapour barrier, for adhesion and sealing, or for improving the film printability, its aesthetics and durability. Moreover, this technology allows to functionalize a polymeric substrate applying materials with different chemistry, rheology, thermal and structural characteristics. BOPET films are widely used for food packaging applications thanks to their good gas barrier and mechanical properties, high transparency and for the excellent printability. In regard to sealing performance, BOPET films show poor sealing properties so they are mostly submitted to lamination processes with polyethylene. Nevertheless, this solution compromises the PET recyclability and influences the gas permeability of the multilayer PET based structures. The aim of this work is to investigate on the effect of nanocomposite biodegradable coatings for BOPET substrates in enhancing the heat sealing strength of eco-compatible PET/PLA films. At this regards, different percentages of Cloisite C30B (0%, 2% and 4%{sub wt/wt}) have been added to PLA by solution intercalation technique and the nanocomposite biodegradable materials produced have been applied on BOPET commercial films by casting. The BOPET coated films have been characterized in order to evaluate the heat sealing strength and the mechanical, gas permeability and surface properties. The results have shown that the addition of nanoclay in PLA coating significantly enhance the hot tack properties of the PET/PLA system produced, while the oxygen and water vapour permeability are slightly increased if compared to pure BOPET films.

Nanocomposites biodegradable coating on BOPET films to enhance hot seal strength properties

Science.gov (United States)

Barbaro, G.; Galdi, M. R.; Di Maio, L.; Incarnato, L.

2015-12-01

The coating technology is a strategic solution to improve the properties of flexible packaging films. Indeed, additional functional layers are often designed and added as coating on the substrate, in order to improve the characteristic of the flexible packaging and to meet the requirements for the desired gas or vapour barrier, for adhesion and sealing, or for improving the film printability, its aesthetics and durability. Moreover, this technology allows to functionalize a polymeric substrate applying materials with different chemistry, rheology, thermal and structural characteristics. BOPET films are widely used for food packaging applications thanks to their good gas barrier and mechanical properties, high transparency and for the excellent printability. In regard to sealing performance, BOPET films show poor sealing properties so they are mostly submitted to lamination processes with polyethylene. Nevertheless, this solution compromises the PET recyclability and influences the gas permeability of the multilayer PET based structures. The aim of this work is to investigate on the effect of nanocomposite biodegradable coatings for BOPET substrates in enhancing the heat sealing strength of eco-compatible PET/PLA films. At this regards, different percentages of Cloisite C30B (0%, 2% and 4%wt/wt) have been added to PLA by solution intercalation technique and the nanocomposite biodegradable materials produced have been applied on BOPET commercial films by casting. The BOPET coated films have been characterized in order to evaluate the heat sealing strength and the mechanical, gas permeability and surface properties. The results have shown that the addition of nanoclay in PLA coating significantly enhance the hot tack properties of the PET/PLA system produced, while the oxygen and water vapour permeability are slightly increased if compared to pure BOPET films.

Effect of the sterilization method on the properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, Karina A. [Queensland Eye Institute, 41 Annerley Road, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101 (Australia); Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059 (Australia); Shadforth, Audra M.A. [Queensland Eye Institute, 41 Annerley Road, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101 (Australia); Chirila, Traian V., E-mail: traian.chirila@qei.org.au [Queensland Eye Institute, 41 Annerley Road, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101 (Australia); Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland 4006 (Australia); Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 (Australia); Laurent, Matthieu J. [Queensland Eye Institute, 41 Annerley Road, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101 (Australia); Ecole Superieure d' Ingenieurs de Luminy (ESIL), Universite de la Mediterranee Aix-Marseille II, Luminy case 925 13288, Marseille, Cedex 09 (France); Stephenson, Sally-Anne [Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059 (Australia); Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4001 (Australia); Edwards, Grant A. [Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 (Australia); Madden, Peter W. [Queensland Eye Institute, 41 Annerley Road, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101 (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland 4006 (Australia); and others

2013-03-01

We have compared the effects of different sterilization techniques on the properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin thin films with the view to subsequent use for corneal tissue engineering. The transparency, tensile properties, corneal epithelial cell attachment and degradation of the films were used to evaluate the suitability of certain sterilization techniques including gamma-irradiation (in air or nitrogen), steam treatment and immersion in aqueous ethanol. The investigations showed that gamma-irradiation, performed either in air or in a nitrogen atmosphere, did not significantly alter the properties of films. The films sterilized by gamma-irradiation or by immersion in ethanol had a transparency greater than 98% and tensile properties comparable to human cornea and amniotic membrane, the materials of choice in the reconstruction of ocular surface. Although steam-sterilization produced stronger, stiffer films, they were less transparent, and cell attachment was affected by the variable topography of these films. It was concluded that gamma-irradiation should be considered to be the most suitable method for the sterilization of silk fibroin films, however, the treatment with ethanol is also an acceptable method. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effects of four methods of sterilization on the properties of silk fibroin films were investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Steam treatment leads to stiffer films but to lower transparency and variable surface topography. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Degradation of fibroin is enhanced in the films that were gamma-irradiated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The effects on mechanical properties are explained through changes in both primary and secondary structure of fibroin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Gamma-irradiation and immersion in aqueous ethanol are suggested as preferred methods of sterilization.

Effect of the sterilization method on the properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, Karina A.; Shadforth, Audra M.A.; Chirila, Traian V.; Laurent, Matthieu J.; Stephenson, Sally-Anne; Edwards, Grant A.; Madden, Peter W.

2013-01-01

We have compared the effects of different sterilization techniques on the properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin thin films with the view to subsequent use for corneal tissue engineering. The transparency, tensile properties, corneal epithelial cell attachment and degradation of the films were used to evaluate the suitability of certain sterilization techniques including gamma-irradiation (in air or nitrogen), steam treatment and immersion in aqueous ethanol. The investigations showed that gamma-irradiation, performed either in air or in a nitrogen atmosphere, did not significantly alter the properties of films. The films sterilized by gamma-irradiation or by immersion in ethanol had a transparency greater than 98% and tensile properties comparable to human cornea and amniotic membrane, the materials of choice in the reconstruction of ocular surface. Although steam-sterilization produced stronger, stiffer films, they were less transparent, and cell attachment was affected by the variable topography of these films. It was concluded that gamma-irradiation should be considered to be the most suitable method for the sterilization of silk fibroin films, however, the treatment with ethanol is also an acceptable method. - Highlights: ► The effects of four methods of sterilization on the properties of silk fibroin films were investigated. ► Steam treatment leads to stiffer films but to lower transparency and variable surface topography. ► Degradation of fibroin is enhanced in the films that were gamma-irradiated. ► The effects on mechanical properties are explained through changes in both primary and secondary structure of fibroin. ► Gamma-irradiation and immersion in aqueous ethanol are suggested as preferred methods of sterilization.

Mechanical properties of ultra thin metallic films revealed by synchrotron techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruber, Patric Alfons

2007-07-20

A prerequisite for the study of the scaling behavior of mechanical properties of ultra thin films is a suitable testing technique. Therefore synchrotron-based in situ testing techniques were developed and optimized in order to characterize the stress evolution in ultra thin metallic films on compliant polymer substrates during isothermal tensile tests. Experimental procedures for polycrystalline as well as single crystalline films were established. These techniques were used to systematically investigate the influence of microstructure, film thickness (20 to 1000 nm) and temperature (-150 to 200 C) on the mechanical properties. Passivated and unpassivated Au and Cu films as well as single crystalline Au films on polyimide substrates were tested. Special care was also dedicated to the microstructural characterization of the samples which was very important for the correct interpretation of the results of the mechanical tests. Down to a film thickness of about 100 to 200 nm the yield strength increased for all film systems (passivated and unpassivated) and microstructures (polycrystalline and singlecrystalline). The influence of different interfaces was smaller than expected. This could be explained by a dislocation source model based on the nucleation of perfect dislocations. For polycrystalline films the film thickness as well as the grain size distribution had to be considered. For smaller film thicknesses the increase in flow stress was weaker and the deformation behavior changed because the nucleation of perfect dislocations became unfavorable. Instead, the film materials used alternative mechanisms to relieve the high stresses. For regular and homogeneous deformation the total strain was accommodated by the nucleation and motion of partial dislocations. If the deformation was localized due to initial cracks in a brittle interlayer or local delamination, dislocation plasticity was not effective enough to relieve the stress concentration and the films showed

Composite Films of Arabinoxylan and Fibrous Sepiolite: Morphological, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sárossy, Zsuzsa; Blomfeldt, J.O.; Hedenqvist, Mikael S.

2012-01-01

(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG) plasticizer addition. Incorporation of sepiolite did not significantly influence the thermal degradation or the gas barrier properties of arabinoxylan films, which is likely a consequence of sepiolite fiber morphology. In summary, sepiolite was shown to have potential...... as an additive to obtain stronger hemicellulose films although other approaches, possibly in combination with the use of sepiolite, would be needed if enhanced film barrier properties are required for specific applications....

Design and Simulation of an RF-MEMS Switch and analysis of its Electromagnetic aspect in realtion to stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amna Riaz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS are devices made up of several electrical and mechanical components. They consist of mechanical functions (sensing, thermal, inertial and electrical functions (switching, decision making on a single chip made by microfabrication methods. These chips exhibit combined properties of the two functions. The size of system has characteristic dimensions less than 1mm but more than 1μm. The configuration of these components determine the final deliverables of the switch. MEMS can be designed to meet user requirements on any level from microbiological application such as biomedical transducers or tissue engineering, to mechanical systems such as microfluidic diagnoses or chemical fuel cells. The low cost, small mass and minimal power consumption of the MEMS makes it possible to readily integrate to any kind of system in any environment. MEMS are faster, better and cheaper. They offer excellent electrical performances. MEMS working at Radio frequencies are RF MEMS. RF-MEMS switches find huge market in the modern telecommunication networks, biological, automobiles, satellites and defense systems because of their lower power consumptions at relatively higher frequencies and better electrical performances. But the reliability is the major hurdle in the fate of RF MEMS switches. Reliability mainly arises due to the presence of residual stresses, charging current, fatigue and creep and contact degradation. The presence of residual stresses in switches the S-Parameters of the switches are affected badly and the residual stress affects the final planarity of the fabricated structure. Design and simulation of an RF-MEMS switch is proposed considering the residual stresses in both on and off state. The operating frequency band is being optimized and the best possible feasible fabrication technique for the proposed switch design is being analyzed. S-Parameters are calculated and a comparison for the switches with stress and

Some magnetic and magnetoresistive properties of RF-sputtered thin NiFe-Si films.

Science.gov (United States)

Vatskicheva, M.; Vatskichev, Ly.; Dimitrov, I.; Kunev, B.

The galvanomagnetic properties and some structural peculiarities of rf-sputtered alloy films (NI80Fe20)100-xSix at 0 < x < 30 at. % were studied and compared with the corresponding properties of evaporated films of the same thickness and composition. The content of silicon increased with the increasing of the velocity of deposition and led to the amorphousation of the films. Coercivity decreased with the velocity of growth but it did not depend on the thickness and on the velocity of film deposition. The magnetoresistance ratio Dr/r of the sputtered films was about three times higher then that of the evaporated films.

An investigation into graphene exfoliation and potential graphene application in MEMS devices

Science.gov (United States)

Fercana, George; Kletetschka, Gunther; Mikula, Vilem; Li, Mary

2011-02-01

The design of microelectromecanical systems (MEMS) and micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS) are often materials-limited with respect to the efficiency and capability of the material. Graphene, a one atom thick honeycomb lattice of carbon, is a highly desired material for MEMS applications. Relevant properties of graphene include the material's optical transparency, mechanical strength, energy efficiency, and electrical and thermal conductivity due to its electron mobility. Aforementioned properties make graphene a strong candidate to supplant existing transparent electrode technology and replace the conventionally used material, indium-tin oxide. In this paper we present preliminary results on work toward integration of graphene with MEMS structures. We are studying mechanical exfoliation of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) crystals by repeatedly applying and separating adhesive materials from the HOPG surface. The resulting graphene sheets are then transferred to silicon oxide substrate using the previously applied adhesive material. We explored different adhesive options, particularly the use of Kapton tape, to improve the yield of graphene isolation along with chemical cross-linking agents which operate on a mechanism of photoinsertion of disassociated nitrene groups. These perfluorophenyl nitrenes participate in C=C addition reactions with graphene monolayers creating a covalent binding between the substrate and graphene. We are focusing on maximizing the size of isolated graphene sheets and comparing to conventional exfoliation. Preliminary results allow isolation of few layer graphene (FLG) sheets (ntechnology to be used in future deep space telescopes.