Lubricant replacement in rolling element bearings for weapon surety devices

Stronglink switches are a weapon surety device that is critical to the nuclear safety theme in modem nuclear weapons. These stronglink switches use rolling element bearings which contain a lubricant consisting of low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fragments. Ozone-depleting solvents are used in both the manufacture and application of this lubricant. An alternate bearing lubrication for stronglink switches is needed that will provide long-term chemical stability, low migration and consistent performance. Candidates that were evaluated include bearings with sputtered MoS{sub 2} on the races and retainers, bearings with TiC-coated balls, and bearings with Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} balls and steel races. These candidates were compared to the lubricants currently used which are bearings lubricated with PTFE fragments of low molecular weight in a fluorocarbon solvent. The candidates were also compared to bearings lubricated with a diester oil which is representative of bearing lubricants used in industrial applications. Evaluation consisted of cycling preloaded bearings and subjecting them to 23 gRMS random vibration. All of the candidates are viable substitutes for low load application where bearing preload is approximately 1 pound. For high load applications where the bearing preload is approximately 10 pounds, bearings with sputtered MoS{sub 2} on the races and retainers appear to be the best substitutes. Bearings with TiC-coated balls also appear to be a viable candidate but these bearings did not perform as well as the sputtered MoS{sub 2}

The effect of frequency on the lifetime of a surface micromachined microengine driving a load

Experiments have been performed on surface micromachined microengines driving load gears to determine the effect of the rotation frequency on median cycles to failure. The authors did observe a frequency dependence and have developed a model based on fundamental wear mechanisms and forces exhibited in resonant mechanical systems. Stressing loaded microengines caused observable wear in the rotating joints and in a few instances led to fracture of the pin joint in the drive gear

Atomic oxygen interaction with nickel multilayer and antimony oxide doped MoS{sub 2} films

Sputtered MoS{sub 2} is a solid lubricant capable of ultralow friction coefficients (below 0.05) load-bearing capacity. Since it exhibits low friction in vacuum, low outgassing rate, is non-migrating and lacks organic binders, this material is an attractive lubricant for space mechanisms. To exploit these new materials to their fullest potential, designers of space-based motion systems require data on the effects of atomic oxygen exposure on dense, sputtered MoS{sub 2}. This paper describes the effects of atomic oxygen in low earth orbit on the friction and surface composition of sputtered MoS{sub 2} films. Sputtered multilayer films of MoS{sub 2} with nickel (0.7 nm Ni per 10 nm MoS{sub 2}, for 1 {mu}m total film thickness), and MoS{sub 2} cosputtered with antimony oxide (nominally 2 {mu}m thick) were exposed to 2.2 to 2.5 x 10{sup 20} oxygen/cm{sup 2} over a period of 42.25 hours in earth orbit on the United States space shuttle. Identical specimens were kept as controls in desiccated storage for the duration of the mission, and another set was exposed to an equivalent fluence of atomic oxygen in the laboratory. The friction coefficient in air and vacuum, and the composition of worn surfaces, were determined prior to the shuttle flight and again after the shuttle flight. Results are described

Friction and wear in surface micromachined tribological test devices

We report on the design, construction, and initial testing of surface micromachined devices for measuring friction and wear. The devices measure friction coefficients on both horizontal deposited polysilicon surfaces and vertical etched polysilicon surfaces. The contact geometry of the rubbing surfaces is well-defined, and a method is presented for the determination of the normal and frictional forces. Initial observations on test devices which have been dried with supercritical CO{sub 2} and devices coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane suggest that the coatings increase the lifetime of the devices and the repeatability of the results

Oxidation and frictional performance of solid lubricants used in weapon stronglinks

The oxidation and performance of the solid film lubricant used in a majority of the surety devices in the enduring stockpile have been investigated. Oxidation of this lubricant in air at 150 C produces a significant increase in the molybdenum oxide to sulfide ratio, indicative of degradation of the primary lubricating constituent of the composite lubricant. Oxidation is more extensive on samples that were burnished such that the substrate is exposed over a fraction of the surface, relative to those which were only lightly burnished. Friction results indicate that oxidation in air did not increase the initial or steady-state friction coefficient for lightly burnished surfaces. However, surfaces burnished to expose substrate material experienced a significant increase in both initial and steady-state friction. Oxidation of lubricated parts retrieved from aged stronglinks has also been demonstrated

Particle-surface interactions in chemical mechanical polishing

Material removal in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) occurs by a pressure accentuated chemical attack of the surface. The polishing slurry typically consists of abrasive particles and reactive chemicals that may or may not include an oxidant. Post-CMP cleaning processes must remove both the ionic contaminants and any remaining polishing slurry particles. Central to the effectiveness of a clean is the use of conditions that will minimize the binding force between the residual particles and the wafer surface. The morphology and composition of the particle, the surface from which it must be removed, and the environment surrounding the wafer will determine the magnitude of forces that hold a particle to the wafer surface. At the Sandia/SEMATECH Center for Contamination Free Manufacturing, two techniques--atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrokinetic deposition--are being used to explore these interactions for CMP of both oxide and tungsten surfaces. A basic understanding of particle-surface interaction forces and how they are affected by the chemical/physical environment of the particle and surface is the objective of this task. Modification of the binding forces between particles and wafer surfaces may be used to maximize post-CMP cleaning effectiveness

Lubrication of polysilicon micromechanisms with self-assembled monolayers

Here, the authors report on the lubricating effects of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on MEMS by measuring static and dynamic friction with two polysilicon surface- micromachined devices. The first test structure is used to study friction between laterally sliding surfaces and with the second, friction between vertical sidewalls can be investigated. Both devices are SAM-coated following the sacrificial oxide etch and the microstructures emerge released and dry from the final water rinse. The coefficient of static friction, {mu}{sub s} was found to decrease from 2.1 {+-} 0.8 for the SiO{sub 2} coating to 0.11 {+-} 0.01 and 0.10 {+-} 0.01 for films derived from octadecyltrichloro-silane (OTS) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl-trichlorosilane (FDTS). Both OTS and FDTS SAM-coated structures exhibit dynamic coefficients of friction, {mu}{sub d} of 0.08 {+-} 0.01. These values were found to be independent of the apparent contact area, and remain unchanged after 1 million impacts at 5.6 {micro}N (17 kPa), indicating that these SAMs continue to act as boundary lubricants despite repeated impacts. Measurements during sliding friction from the sidewall friction testing structure give comparable initial {mu}{sub d} values of 0.02 at a contact pressure of 84 MPa. After 15 million wear cycles, {mu}{sub d} was found to rise to 0.27. Wear of the contacting surfaces was examined by SEM. Standard deviations in the {mu} data for SAM treatments indicate uniform coating coverage

Wear mechanisms and friction parameters for sliding wear of micron-scale polysilicon sidewalls

As tribological properties are critical factors in the reliability of silicon-based microelectromechanical systems, it is important to understand what governs wear and friction. Average dynamic friction, wear volumes and morphology have been studied for polysilicon devices fabricated using the Sandia SUMMiT VTM process and actuated in room-temperature air at µN loads. A total of seven devices was tested for total life. Three of the total-life experiments showed a global peak in the friction coefficient at three times the initial value with failure after 10^5 cycles. Four other total-life experiments ran similarly up to 10^5 cycles; however, following this global peak in the friction coefficient these devices continued to operate and achieved a lower steady-state friction regime with no failure for millions of cycles. Coincident with the friction coefficient increase, the nano-scale wear coefficient and surface roughness increased sharply in the first 10^5 cycles and then decayed over several million cycles. These results are considered in terms of a mechanistic understanding of wear and friction: after an initial short adhesive wear regime with early failures attributed to local spikes in friction caused by differences in the local nano-scale surface morphology, three-body abrasive wear becomes the governing mechanism, allowing the devices to achieve a steady-state friction regime. Changing the relative humidity, sliding speed and load in the steady-state regime, in which devices spend the majority of their operating life, is found to influence the friction coefficient, but re-oxidation of worn polysilicon surfaces was only found to have an effect on the friction coefficient after periods of inactivity.

Performance of Ultra Hard Carbon Wear Coatings on Microgears Fabricated by Liga

Stiction and friction are of concern for the reliable, long-term application of Ni-alloy micromachines. We have found that the application of a 30-70 nm hard carbon coating produces a significant reduction in the friction coefficient and wear rate of electroformed Ni substrates in reciprocating sliding contact under simulated MEMS operating conditions. To evaluate the performance of coated components, a series of 70-pm-thick microgears ranging in diameter from 0.2 to 2.2 mm were fabricated from electroformed Ni via standard LIGA processes and fixtured on posts in preparation for the coating procedure. A pulsed vacuum- arc deposition process was used to deposit a carbon coating on the gears with the plasma incident at a shallow angle to the gears' top surface. A sample bias of -2 keV was used in order to produce a coating with relatively low stress and good adhesion while maintaining high hardness. This coating process is known to be somewhat comformal to the component surfaces. The coating uniformity, particularly in the high-aspect-ratio areas between the gear teeth, was evaluated with micro-Raman spectroscopy. It is shown that the coating can be applied uniformly on the top gear surface. Between the gear teeth the coating was the same thickness as on top of the gear down to a point 50 ~m below the top surface. Below that point (i.e. between 50 and 70 Lm), the coating thickness is somewhat thinner, but is still present. These results demonstrate that it is possible to a deposit hard carbon coating on microgears to reduce friction and wear in micromachines