A novel approach to construct self-assembled 3D MEMS arrays

Abstract

The paper presents the design and technological fabrication process of Yin or Yang-shaped, micron-sized electromechanical system (MEMS) elements displaying asymmetric hollow cylinders with two different curvatures of the cylinder shell. By adapting the process steps, two neighboring shutter MEMS elements can either be attached to each other to create asymmetric hollow cylinders or remain disconnected to form curled cylindrical or ellipsoidal tubes or tube fractions. A novel 3D self-organization process has been developed to connect two neighboring shutter elements, exploiting surface tension forces via a sequential drying process. The process conditions have been analyzed and optimized to fabricate the two different geometries of the MEMS elements. The resulting MEMS system elements were characterized by focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy. The contribution of Casimir force, van der Waals force, and other physical interfacial forces are discussed in the formation of the asymmetric hollow cylinders.

Perspectives on weak interactions in complex materials at different length scales

“…148 Theoretical models via mQED, see Section 4.4 quantise the forces and help in improving such systems. 149…”

“…148 Theoretical models via mQED, see Section 4.4 quantise the forces and help in improving such systems. 149 It has been reported on numerous occasions that 2D materials tend to roll up and form stable scrolls. This is an undesired effect in device fabrication, but it can be used also for nanowires and/or mechanical structures.…”

Study of Dynamics in Metallic MEMS Cantilevers—Pull-In Voltage and Actuation Speed

“…Silicon is the by far dominating MEMS material. However, there are also metallic materials in use for specific MEMS devices, such as optical MEMS shutter arrays for smart glass applications [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] to modulate daylight in windows, for space instrumentation [28], for camera shutters [32], and for artificial eyelids for sensor protection [33] and displays [22][23][24]30,34,35]. In the anchor region, these MEMS shutters are fixed to the transparent conductive oxide layer located on the glass substrate.…”

“…For all these metallic and hybrid MEMS shutter and micro-mirror arrays for optical applications [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35], the closing time or the actuation time is crucial. Since the shutter dynamics is also related to the magnitude of the applied voltage, also the pull-in voltage is involved and of high interest.…”