A DCAMM seminar will be presented by

Professor Wen Jin Meng, Ph.D.

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, U.S.A.

Abstract:

For the past thirty years, research on and development of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices have focused primarily on silicon-based materials [1].  Fabrication of MEMS devices utilizes technologies developed through over fifty years of integrated circuit processing [2].

In certain mechanical and chemical applications, metal-based microdevices and microsystems enjoy distinct advantages over silicon-based counterparts.  Examples include compact heat exchangers and small chemical reactors, where the relevant physical properties of silicon, its mechanical robustness, and its ability to cope with harsh environments and mechanical contact are all inferior to metal-based systems. One major reason for the present paucity of work on metal-based microdevices is the lack of suitable techniques for their fabrication and assembly.

This talk discusses our recent work on replication-based fabrication of micro/nano scale metallic structures and assembly of such structures into functional devices.  Several key elements, such as surface engineering of replication tools, the absence and presence of mechanical size effects in simple replication geometries, bonding and impact of bonding interfaces on device performance, will be discussed.

[1] K.E. Petersen, Silicon as a mechanical material, Proc. IEEE 70(5), 420 (1982).

[2] M.J. Madou, Fundamentals of Microfabrication and Nanotechnology (2011).