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- 2017 (6) (entfernen)
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- Englisch (6)
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- MEMS (2)
- Nanoparticles (2)
- Alumina coating (1)
- DSSC (1)
- Focused ion beam tomography (1)
- HSQ (1)
- In situ bending tests (1)
- Indentation (1)
- Nanowires (1)
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Silica nanowires spanning 10 μm-deep trenches are fabricated from different types of silsesquioxane-based precursors by direct e-beam patterning on silicon followed by release through deep reactive ion etching. Nanowire aspect ratios as large as 150 are achieved with a critical dimension of about 50 nm and nearly rectangular cross-sections. In situ bending tests are carried out inside a scanning electron microscope, where the etch depth of 10 mm provides sufficient space for deformation. Silica NWs are indeed observed to exhibit superplastic behavior without fracture with deflections reaching the full etch depth, about two orders of magnitude larger than the nanowire thickness. A large-deformation elastic bending model is utilized for predicting the deviation from the elastic behavior. The results of forty different tests indicate a critical stress level of 0.1–0.4 GPa for the onset of plasticity. The study hints at the possibility of fabricating silica nanowires in a monolithic Fashion through direct e-beam patterning of silsesquioxane-based resins. The fabrication technology is compatible with semiconductor manufacturing and provides silica nanowires with a very good structural integrity.
Nanoscale building blocks impart added functionalities to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The integration of silicon nanowires with MEMS-based sensors leading to miniaturization with improved sensitivity and higher noise immunity is one example highlighting the advantages of this multiscale approach. The accelerated pace of research in this area gives rise to an urgent need for batch-compatible solutions for scaling to nano. To address this challenge, a monolithic fabrication approach of silicon nanowires with 10-lm-thick silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MEMS is developed in this work. A two-step Si etching approach is adopted, where the first step creates a shallow surface protrusion and the second step releases it in the form of a nanowire. It is during this second deep etching step that MEMS—with at least a 2-order-of-magnitude scale difference - is formed as well. The technique provides a pathway for preserving the lithographic resolution and transforming it into a very high mechanical precision in the assembly of micro- and nanoscales with an extreme topography. Validation of the success of integration is carried out via in situ actuation of MEMS inside an electron microscope loading the nanowire up to its fracture. The technique yields nanowires on the top surface of MEMS, thereby providing ease of access for the purposes of carrying out surface processes such as doping and contact formation as well as in situ observation. As the first study demonstrating such monolithic integration in thick SOI, the work presents a pathway for scaling down to nano for future MEMS combining multiple scales.
The quantitative nanomechanical characterization of soft materials using the nanoindentation technique requires further improvements in the performances of instruments, including their force Resolution in particular. A micro-machined silicon nanoforce transducer based upon electrostatic comb drives featuring the force and depth resolutions down to 1 nN and 0.2 nm, respectively, is described.
At the end of theMEMStransducer’s main shaft, a pyramidal tip is fabricated using a focused ion beam facility. A proof-of-principle setup with this MEMS nanoindenter has been established to measure the mechanical properties of soft polydimethylsiloxane. First measurement results demonstrate that the prototype measurement system is able to quantitatively characterize soft materials with elastic moduli down to a few MPa.
Microstructure, smoothening effect, and local defects of alumina sol-gel coatings on ground steel
(2017)
Porous alumina films with thicknesses of a few microns were prepared via a dip-coating technique on steel P92. The coating is shown to protect the steel against massive corrosion, which is typical in the hot reactive environment of coal fired power plants. To mimic real conditions ground steel plates were coated with a boehmite-sol. This leads to an overall smoothing of the formerly rough surface. In the following short annealing step the inner porous construction with worm-like particles consisting of nano-crystallites and amorphous alumina is formed. Due to the simultaneous diffusion of chromium and iron ions out of the bulk steel material into the porous alumina coating, a dense interface with satisfactory adhesion is formed. However, the film exhibits few local defects like cracks or dense alumina nodules caused by steep edges in the ground surface or agglomeration of boehmite-sol components, respectively. Cracks especially have to be avoided. This problem can be overcome so far by slight modifications in the sol preparation process and surface treatment of the substrates. Nevertheless the results demonstrate the potential of sol-gel based alumina coatings as a time- and cost-saving protection type for commercial steel P92.
A combined methodical approach is tested with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area of the pore network. The micrometer thick layer employed was manufactured by screen-printing of a starting TiO2 powder constituted of shape-controlled, bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles on FTO/glass substrates. The analytical methods exploited in our study are Focused Ion Beam (FIB) slicing followed by 3D reconstruction as well as the new approach transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Size and shape distribution of the TiO2 NPs within the layer can be extracted. SEM in transmission mode and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to verify the dimensional data obtained by the new combined methodical approach. Its analytical benefits but also the challenges and limitations are highlighted.
A combined methodical approach is tested for the first time with respect to the characterization of the inner structure of porous TiO2 layers infiltrated with ruthenium molecular sensitizer as typically used in modern dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Their performance is directly linked to the surface area ‘offered’ by the pore Network to the dye. The micrometer thick layer employed was manufactured by screen-printing of a starting TiO2 powder constituted of shape-controlled, bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles (NPs) on FTO/glass substrates. The
analytical methods exploited in our study are Focused Ion Beam (FIB) slicing followed by 3D reconstruction as well as the new approach transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technology in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). While the first method results in the visualization of the 3D pore network within the TiO2 layer, the second one can be successfully applied to analyze the crystal orientation of grains (i.e. NPs in our case) in nanometer resolution. Moreover, size and shape distribution of the TiO2 NPs within the layer can be extracted.
SEM in transmission mode and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to verify the dimensional data obtained by the new combined methodical approach. Its analytical benefits but also the challenges and limitations
are highlighted.