SGER: Feasibility Study of Novel Instrumentation With nN Force Resolution

提交给Jorn larsen - basse博士的提案，作者：Andreas A. Polycarpou， UIUC机械与工业工程系许多经历接触的设备，特别是微/纳米设备的性能和耐用性在很大程度上受到表面特性和界面现象（如粘附、摩擦和磨损）的影响。先进工程系统和微型系统（如磁存储中的磁头磁盘接口（HDI）和微机电系统（MEMS））的摩擦、粘附和纳米力学性能领域的研究取得了很大进展。随着微型系统尺寸尺度的进一步缩小，对公差的要求越来越小，表面越来越光滑，薄膜越来越薄，并且可能出现强分子间附着力、高粘性和界面灾难性失效等现象。尽管许多问题已经得到缓解或解决，但在本研究中仍然存在并将解决的一个主要问题是分辨率极低的直接力测量。拟议的为期一年的探索性研究涉及共同开发和购买能够以1 nN的非常高分辨率直接进行力测量的新型仪器。目前最先进的直接力仪器能够达到0.5 nN - 1 nN的力分辨率。力分辨率的3个数量级提高将通过以下方式实现：(a)将当前系统的质量从200毫克以上显著降低到20毫克（使用集成电路ic和MEMS技术的组合）。(b)在力传感器内部采用主动减振。(c)改进力传感器和执行器的驱动电子装置，以尽量减少热漂移。然后，该仪器将与现有的多模原子力显微镜（AFM）集成，并将用于执行初步的界面纳米级实验，以证明神经网络力分辨率的能力。具体来说，将进行两种类型的实验：(a)亚亚纳米压痕- a实验，用于提取亚10纳米超薄层的材料特性；(b)使用微系统的非理想表面和实际表面进行粘附和拉离力实验，例如，来自磁存储的低空飞行的头盘接口。这项研究的意义在于，它将使具有nN和亚nN分辨率的新型直接力测量仪器的可行性，以及在小尺度上进行定性纳米压痕和粘附实验的能力成为可能，这在以前是不可能的。由于采用了新型的低质量直接力传感器，本研究具有探索性和高风险。该研究的成功将对纳米测试和纳米摩擦学的未来产生重大影响。PI在宏观摩擦学方面的背景和他应用微/纳米技术来解释多种长度尺度现象的方法，他强大的仪器背景和他与新型传感器制造商和工业公司的密切关系使他处于一个独特的位置，可以开发能够nN力分辨率的新型仪器，并研究亚纳米厚层的界面现象和机械性能。

Feasibility Study of Novel Instrumentation with nN Force ResolutionNSF SGER Proposal submitted to Dr. Jorn Larsen-BasseBy Andreas A. Polycarpou, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UIUC The performance and durability of many devices that experience contact, especially micro/nanodevices is heavily influenced by the surface properties and interfacial phenomena like adhesion,friction and wear. Research in the areas of friction, adhesion and nanomechanical properties of advanced engineering systems and miniature systems, such as the Head Disk Interface (HDI) in magnetic storage and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), have advanced considerably. As the size scale of miniature systems shrinks further, finer tolerances are required, surfaces become smoother, thin-films become thinner and phenomena like strong intermolecular adhesion forces, high stiction and catastrophic failures at the interfaces may occur. Even though many of these problems have been alleviated or resolved, a major issue that remains and will be tackled in this research is the direct force measurementwith extremely low resolution. The proposed one year exploratory research deals with the co-development and purchase of novel instrumentation capable for direct force measurements with very high resolution of 1 nN. Current state of the art direct force instruments are capable of 0.5 nN - 1 nN force resolution. The 3 orders of magnitude improvement in the force resolution will be accomplish by:(a) Significantly reducing the mass of the current systems from over 200 mg to 20 mg (using a combination of integrated circuit-IC and MEMS technologies).(b) Incorporating active vibration cancellation inside the force transducer.(c) Improving the drive electronics of the force transducer and actuator to minimize thermal drift. The proposed instrumentation will then be integrated with an existing multi-mode Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and will be used to perform preliminary interfacial nanoscale experiments to demonstrate the nN force resolution capabilities. Specifically, two types of experiments will be performed: (a) iasub nanoindentationl-A experiments for extracting material properties of sub 10 nm ultra thin layers and (b) adhesion and pull-off force experiments using isidealln surfaces and actual surfaces from microsystems, e.g., low flying head-disk interfaces from magnetic storage. The significance of this research is that it will enable the feasibility of novel direct force measurement instrumentation capable of nN and possibly sub nN resolution and the capability of performing qualitative nanoindentation and adhesion experiments at small scales that were not possible before. The proposed research is exploratory and high risk due to the novel prototype low mass direct force transducers. The success of this research will have a great impact on the future of nanoscale testing and nanotribology. The PI's background in macrotribology and his approach of applying micro/nano techniques to explain phenomena at multiple length scales, his strong instrumentation background and his strong relation with novel sensor manufacturers, and industrial companies place him in a unique position to develop novel instrumentation capable of nN force resolution and investigate interfacial phenomena and mechanical properties of sub-nm thick layers.