A micromachined flow shear-stress sensor based on thermal transfer principles

Microhot-film shear-stress sensors have been developed by using surface micromachining techniques. The sensor consists of a suspended silicon-nitride diaphragm located on top of a vacuum-sealed cavity. A heating and heat-sensing element, made of polycrystalline silicon material, resides on top of the diaphragm. The underlying vacuum cavity greatly reduces conductive heat loss to the substrate and therefore increases the sensitivity of the sensor. Testing of the sensor has been conducted in a wind tunnel under three operation modes-constant current, constant voltage, and constant temperature. Under the constant-temperature mode, a typical shear-stress sensor exhibits a time constant of 72 μs

Sealing of micromachined cavities using chemical vapor deposition methods: characterization and optimization

This paper presents results of a systematic investigation to characterize the sealing of micromachined cavities using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. We have designed and fabricated a large number and variety of surface-micromachined test structures with different etch-channel dimensions. Each cavity is then subjected to a number of sequential CVD deposition steps with incremental thickness until the cavity is successfully sealed. At etch deposition interval, the sealing status of every test structure is experimentally obtained and the percentage of structures that are sealed is recorded. Four CVD sealing materials have been incorporated in our studies: LPCVD silicon nitride, LPCVD polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon), LPCVD phosphosilicate glass (PSG), and PECVD silicon nitride. The minimum CVD deposition thickness that is required to successfully seal a microstructure is obtained for the first time. For a typical Type-1 test structure that has eight etch channels-each 10 μm long, 4 μm wide, and 0.42 μm tall-the minimum required thickness (normalized with respect to the height of etch channels) is 0.67 for LPCVD silicon nitride, 0.62 for LPCVD polysilicon, 4.5 for LPCVD PSG, and 5.2 for PECVD nitride. LPCVD silicon nitride and polysilicon are the most efficient sealing materials. Sealing results with respect to etch-channel dimensions (length and width) are evaluated (within the range of current design). When LPCVD silicon nitride is used as the sealing material, test structures with the longest (38 μm) and widest (16 μm) etch channels exhibit the highest probability of sealing. Cavities with a reduced number of etch channels seal more easily. For LPCVD PSG sealing, on the other hand, the sealing performance improves with decreasing width but is not affected by length of etch channels

Design of ultraprecision machine tools with application to manufacturing of miniature and micro components

Currently the underlying necessities for predictability, producibility and productivity remain big issues in ultraprecision machining of miniature/microproducts. The demand on rapid and economic fabrication of miniature/microproducts with complex shapes has also made new challenges for ultraprecision machine tool design. In this paper the design for an ultraprecision machine tool is introduced by describing its key machine elements and machine tool design procedures. The focus is on the review and assessment of the state-of-the-art ultraprecision machining tools. It also illustrates the application promise of miniature/microproducts. The trends on machine tool development, tooling, workpiece material and machining processes are pointed out

Development of the technological process for the production of the electrostatic curved beam actuator for pneumatic microvalves

This work focuses on the development of an effective technological process for the production of the electrostatic curved beam actuator capable to be used as a driving element in different devices such as microswitches or microvalves. Main attention was drawn to the investigation of electroplating technique as a critical process in the microactuator fabrication as well as to the design of the actuator. In addition, usability of ceramic substrates for the microactuator and microvalve production was examined. The idea behind it was that ceramic substrates can be preprocessed and delivered already with necessary electrical connections on it. This would make the entire production process simpler and cheaper. Several types of polished alumina (Al2O3) substrates were used for this purpose. Electrostatic actuation principle was chosen for its good scaling properties to small dimensions, low power consumption, smaller size and higher switching speed. Curved shape of the actuator allows to reduce its pull-in voltage and thus to increase the amplitude of motion as compared to the parallel-plate structures. The material of the actuator is nickel. It was chosen for its good mechanical properties and relative simplicity of processing. Double layer nickel electroplating was used to produce the microactuator. The layers have different stress gradients controlled by current density during the electroplating process, making it possible to achieve the desired bending of the structure. Compared to bimetallic bending cantilever actuators, the curvature of the single-metal beam is less dependable on temperature and aging. Thus, more stable performance under changing working conditions was ensured. In order to avoid sticking of the microactuator to the isolation layer in the closed state, an array of stand-off bumps was added on the back-side of the beam. These bumps reduce the contact area and increase the distance between the actuator and the isolation layer. Fifteen design variants of the actuator differing in length and width were fabricated in order find the most effective solution for given system requirements. Based on the actuators technological process developed in this work, a simple electrostatic microvalve was designed and produced. Final variants of microvalve were fabricated on a standard 380 µm thick silicon wafer. Gas inlet channel as well as the electrodes and the actuator itself are all placed on the same substrate in order to reduce the size and cost of the system. During characterization, mechanical stability of the actuators and microvalves were studied by means of drop, temperature and shear tests in order to prove the reliability of the system. System performance tests proved stable pull-in voltages from 8,6 V to 11,6 V. Maximal gas flow through the valve was 110±5 ml/min at applied differential pressure of 2 bar

Design, fabrication, and testing of micromachined silicone rubbermembrane valves

Technologies for fabricating silicone rubber membranes and integrating them with other processes on silicon wafers have been developed. Silicone rubber has been found to have exceptional mechanical properties including low modulus, high elongation, and good sealing. Thermopneumatically actuated, normally open, silicone rubber membrane valves with optimized components have been designed, fabricated, and tested. Suspended silicon nitride membrane heaters have been developed for low-power thermopneumatic actuation. Composite silicone rubber on Parylene valve membranes have been shown to have low permeability and modulus. Also, novel valve seats were designed to improve sealing in the presence of particles. The valves have been extensively characterized with respect to power consumption versus flow rate and transient response. Low power consumption, high flow rate, and high pressure have been demonstrated. For example, less than 40 mW is required to switch a 1-slpm nitrogen flow at 33 psi. Water requires dose to 100 mW due to the cooling effect of the liquid

Experiments and simulations of MEMS thermal sensors for wall shear-stress measurements in aerodynamic control applications

MEMS thermal shear-stress sensors exploit heat-transfer effects to measure the shear stress exerted by an air flow on its solid boundary, and have promising applications in aerodynamic control. Classical theory for conventional, macroscale thermal shear-stress sensors states that the rate of heat removed by the flow from the sensor is proportional to the 1/3-power of the shear stress. However, we have observed that this theory is inconsistent with experimental data from MEMS sensors. This paper seeks to develop an understanding of MEMS thermal shear-stress sensors through a study including both experimental and theoretical investigations. We first obtain experimental data that confirm the inadequacy of the classical theory by wind-tunnel testing of prototype MEMS shear-stress sensors with different dimensions and materials. A theoretical analysis is performed to identify that this inadequacy is due to the lack of a thin thermal boundary layer in the fluid flow at the sensor surface, and then a two-dimensional MEMS shear-stress sensor theory is presented. This theory incorporates important heat-transfer effects that are ignored by the classical theory, and consistently explains the experimental data obtained from prototype MEMS sensors. Moreover, the prototype MEMS sensors are studied with three-dimensional simulations, yielding results that quantitatively agree with experimental data. This work demonstrates that classical assumptions made for conventional thermal devices should be carefully examined for miniature MEMS devices

Microturbopompe avec isolation thermique pour cycle Rankine sur puce

Les micromoteurs thermiques (Power-MEMS) pourraient offrir une alternative aux batteries pour répondre aux besoins d’énergie compacte et distribuée pour des applications telles que l'électronique portable, les robots, les drones et les systèmes embarqués, les capteurs et les actionneurs. La microturbine à vapeur de cycle thermodynamique de Rankine fait partie de ce domaine de micromoteurs. Ce dispositif est destiné à la génération d’électricité à petite échelle à partir de la récupération de la chaleur perdue. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif de ce travail est la fabrication et la démonstration expérimentale d’une microturbopompe à haute température pour implémenter le cycle de Rankine. Une configuration originale qui intègre l’isolation thermique est, tout d’abord, proposée. Cette configuration est constituée d’un empilement de cinq tranches (silicium et verre) pour enfermer un rotor hybride (silicium et verre) supporté par des paliers hydrostatiques. Le rotor est un disque de 4 mm de diamètre et de 400 µm d’épaisseur avec des pales de turbine sur le dessus et une pompe visqueuse à rainures en spirale sur le dessous. Une technique de micromoulage de verre a été développée dans ce travail pour intégrer du verre dans le rotor comme un matériau isolant thermiquement. La microturbopompe est fabriquée avec succès en utilisant les méthodes de microfabrication des MEMS. Tout d'abord, les paliers hydrostatiques, la turbine et le fonctionnement de la pompe sont caractérisés, jusqu'à une vitesse de rotation de 100 kRPM. La turbine a fourni 0,16 W de puissance mécanique et le débit de la pompe était supérieur à 2.55 mg/s. Ensuite, la première démonstration d'une turbopompe MEMS fonctionnant à des températures élevées a été réalisée. Une comparaison a été faite avec un rotor non isolé pour prouver l'efficacité des stratégies d'isolation thermique. La turbopompe MEMS isolée a été démontrée à 160°C du côté de la turbine. Par extrapolation, la microturbopompe devrait fonctionner jusqu'à une température de 400°C avant que la température dans la pompe n'atteigne 100°C. Pour la première fois, une microturbopompe pour un fonctionnement à haute température est fabriquée et caractérisée

A micromachined thermo-optical light modulator based on semiconductor-to-metal phase transition

In this research, a micromachined thermo-optical light modulator was realized based on the semiconductor-to-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin film. VO2 undergoes a reversible phase transition at approximately 68 0C, which is accompanied with drastic changes in its electrical and optical properties. The sharp electrical resistivity change can be as great as five orders. Optically, VO2 film will switch from a transparent semiconductor phase to a reflective metal phase upon the phase transition. The light modulator in this research exploits this phase transition related optical switching by using surface micromachined low-thermal-mass pixels to achieve good thermal isolations, which ensures that each pixel can be individually switched without cross talking. In operation, the pixel temperature was controlled by integrated resistor on each pixel or spatially addressed thermal radiation sources. Active VO2 thin film was synthesized by thermal oxidation of e-beam evaporated vanadium metal film. The oxidized film exhibits a phase transition at ~65°C with a hysteresis of about 15°C. A transmittance switching from ~90% to ~30% in the near infrared and a reflectance switching from ~50% to 15% in the visible have been achieved. The surface microstructure was studied and correlated to its optical properties. A study on the hysteresis loop reveals that the VO2 can be repetitively switched between the on and off\u27 states. The micromachined thermal isolation pixel was a bridge-like silicon dioxide platform suspended with narrow supporting legs. The pixel design was optimized with both thermal and optical simulations. The VO2 light modulator was fabricated by surface micromachining based on dry processing. Silicon dioxide was deposited on a polyimide sacrificial layer by PECVD and patterned to form the structural pixel. Vanadium film was e-beam evaporated and patterned with lift-off process. It was thermally oxidized into VO2 at 390°C. The thermal isolation pixel was anchored on substrate by aluminum pedestals. Finally, the structure was released in an oxygen plasma barrel asher. The VO2 array was experimentally tested and its light switching and modulation ability were demonstrated. Further study shows that the surface micromachining process has no degrading effect on the optical property of VO2 thin film