Optimal Synthesis Methods for MEMS

Ananthasuresh, G. K.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0487-0

Cited by 51 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…The design of compliant structures is an area of significant interest in the MEMS community, and there are methods to optimize the shape of flexures for mechanical or geometric advantage, or for a desired motion path [152], [153].…”

Section: Flexural Suspensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single‐Chip Scanning Probe Microscopes

Sarkar

Mansour²

2015

Micro‐ and Nanomanipulation Tools

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Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) are the highest resolution imaging instruments available today and are among the most important tools in nanoscience. Conventional SPMs suffer from several drawbacks owing to their large and bulky construction and to the use of piezoelectric materials. Large scanners have low resonant frequencies that limit their achievable imaging bandwidth and render them susceptible to disturbance from ambient vibrations. Array approaches have been used to alleviate the bandwidth bottleneck; however as arrays are scaled upwards, the scanning speed must decline to accommodate larger payloads. In addition, the long mechanical path from the tip to the sample contributes thermal drift. Furthermore, intrinsic properties of piezoelectric materials result in creep and hysteresis, which contribute to image distortion. The tip-sample interaction signals are often measured with optical configurations that require large free-space paths, are cumbersome to align, and add to the high cost of state-of-the-art SPM systems. These shortcomings have stifled the widespread adoption of SPMs by the nanometrology community. Tiny, inexpensive, fast, stable and independent SPMs that do not incur bandwidth penalties upon array scaling would therefore be most welcome. A method to increase the quality factor (Q-factor) of flexural resonators is introduced. The method relies on an internal energy pumping mechanism that is based on the interplay between electrical, iv mechanical, and thermal effects. To the best of the author's knowledge, the devices that are designed to harness these effects possess the highest electromechanical Qs reported for flexural resonators operating in air; electrically measured Q is enhanced from ~50 to ~50,000 in one exemplary device. A physical explanation for the underlying mechanism is proposed.The design, fabrication, imaging, and tip-based lithographic patterning with the first single-chip Scanning Thermal Microscopes (SThMs) are also presented. In addition to 3 DOF scanning, these devices possess integrated, thermally isolated temperature sensors to detect heat transfer in the tip-sample region.Imaging is reported with thermocouple-based devices and patterning is reported with resistive heater/sensors. An "isothermal electrothermal scanner" is designed and fabricated, and a method to operate it is detailed. The mechanism, based on electrothermal actuation, maintains a constant temperature in a central location while positioning a payload over a range of >35μm, thereby suppressing the deleterious thermal crosstalk effects that have thus far plagued thermally actuated devices with integrated sensors.

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Section: Flexural Suspensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Single‐Chip Scanning Probe Microscopes

Sarkar

Mansour²

2015

Micro‐ and Nanomanipulation Tools

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“…These methods were successfully applied to the synthesis of micro-compliant mechanisms [45] [47]. A complete review of automated synthesis methods for MEM devices can be found in [46].…”

Section: A Automated Synthesis Of Mem Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Automated Design and Optimization of MEMS

Achiche

Fan

Bolognini

2007

2007 IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics

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Abstract-In recent years MEMS saw a very rapid development. Although many advances have been reached, due to the multiphysics nature of MEMS, their design is still a difficult task carried on mainly by hand calculation. In order to help to overtake such difficulties, attempts to automate MEMS design were carried out. This paper presents a review of these techniques. The design task of MEMS is usually divided into four main stages: System Level, Device Level, Physical Level and the Process Level. The state of the art o automated MEMS design in each of these levels is investigated.

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“…Even though topology optimization-based synthesis methods have been reported for a variety of actuations in microsystems [3], such an attempt for electrostatically actuated microstructures is reported only recently [4]. The inability to smoothly interpolate the state of the material from a conductor to a dielectric or a void was perhaps a reason for this.…”

Section: Background and Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%