Assembly of electronic components with Optoelectronic Tweezers

用光电镊子组装电子元件

• 批准号: EP/L022257/1
• 负责人: Steven Neale
• 金额: $ 27.67万
• 依托单位: University of Glasgow
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2014 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FL022257%2F1
• 关键词: Assembly; electronic; components; Optoelectronic; Tweezers

In this project we will use a method of controlling electrical forces with light patterns to move and assemble small electrical components into circuits. This is in contrast to the current techniques used where a robotic arm with a vacuum tip on the end is used to pick up and place these components onto printed circuits. We aim to produce a step change in the size of the smallest components that can be handled from the current smallest standard component size of 400x200 microns (0402 metric) e.g. less than half a millimetre across, down to components a few microns across and even nanostructured components (based upon graphene, nanowires or nanotubes, for example). This will be accomplished by developing a radically new assembly strategy based on a touch-less opto-electro-fluidic technique known as optoelectronic tweezers (OET). OET use a photoconductive device to turn patterns of light into patterns of electrical field. By designing the device so that a liquid layer experiences a larger bias across it where it is illuminated, electrical gradients are created which create forces on any particles within the liquid through dielectrophoresis. Changing the light pattern changes the pattern of electrical forces allowing the continuous movement and hence positioning of microparticles.Proof of concept experiments showing the movement of electronic components 600 microns long have already been demonstrated and during the 18 months of this project the aim is to take this research and to develop the technique to a degree where we are able to incorporate it into an automated process flow. The electrical components we will be assembling are common in all consumer electronic equipment with, for example, 400 to 500 being present in a typical smart phone. The size of the components is constantly shrinking so that they take up less space and add less weight to portable products such as laptops, cameras and phones. As the components get smaller the reliability of the vacuum tips on robotic arms decreases but it becomes increasingly easier for contactless techniques such as OET to move them. In its first instance we will assemble electrical components into specific positions within a circuit created by patterning metal wires onto an OET device and then fix them into place by heating the solder which comes on each component. This test system will allow us to assess the speed, positional accuracy and reliability of this methodology whilst demonstrating the flexibility of this approach to assemble multiple components in parallel (something not possible with a robotic arm). By demonstrating the assembly of standard components this project will demonstrate its immediate applicability to industry. In the next phase of this project we will demonstrate how OET can create a real step change in the assembly industry by placing components smaller than the current smallest standard. We will start with the new range being released in 2013 by muRata which are 250x125 microns and are expected to create a new standard. We will then extend the size range downwards by creating model components of the whole size range from 1000 microns in length down to 1 micron long.After demonstrating the advantages of using OET to place small components we will then investigate how to do so onto a conventional printed circuit board (PCB). We will also investigate the innovative approach of using the OET device itself to create the wires in the circuit by patterning conductive metallic nanowires into lines in order to connect the discrete components.

在这个项目中，我们将使用一种通过光图案控制电力的方法来移动小型电气元件并将其组装到电路中。这与当前使用的技术形成鲜明对比，当前使用的技术是使用末端带有真空尖端的机械臂来拾取这些组件并将其放置到印刷电路上。我们的目标是从当前最小的 400x200 微米（0402 公制）标准组件尺寸（例如宽度小于半毫米，小至几微米的组件，甚至纳米结构组件（例如基于石墨烯、纳米线或纳米管）。这将通过开发一种基于非接触式光电流体技术（称为光电镊子（OET））的全新组装策略来实现。 OET 使用光电导装置将光图案转变为电场图案。通过设计该设备，使液体层在其被照射的地方经历更大的偏压，从而产生电场梯度，通过介电泳对液体内的任何颗粒产生力。改变光模式会改变电力模式，从而实现微粒的连续运动和定位。显示 600 微米长的电子元件运动的概念验证实验已经得到证实，在该项目的 18 个月内，我们的目标是开展这项研究，并将该技术开发到能够将其纳入自动化工艺流程的程度。我们将组装的电气元件在所有消费电子设备中都很常见，例如，典型的智能手机中就有 400 到 500 个。组件的尺寸不断缩小，因此它们占用的空间越来越小，笔记本电脑、相机和手机等便携式产品的重量也越来越轻。随着组件变得越来越小，机械臂上真空吸头的可靠性也会降低，但 OET 等非接触式技术移动它们变得越来越容易。在第一个实例中，我们将通过将金属线图案化到 OET 设备上而将电气元件组装到电路中的特定位置，然后通过加热每个元件上的焊料将它们固定到位。该测试系统将使我们能够评估该方法的速度、位置精度和可靠性，同时展示该方法并行组装多个组件的灵活性（这是机械臂不可能实现的）。通过演示标准组件的组装，该项目将展示其对工业的直接适用性。在该项目的下一阶段，我们将演示 OET 如何通过放置小于当前最小标准的组件，在装配行业中实现真正的变革。我们将从 muRata 于 2013 年发布的新系列开始，该系列尺寸为 250x125 微米，预计将创建一个新标准。然后，我们将通过创建从 1000 微米长到 1 微米长的整个尺寸范围的模型组件来向下扩展尺寸范围。在演示了使用 OET 放置小型组件的优势后，我们将研究如何在传统印刷电路板 (PCB) 上实现这一点。我们还将研究使用 OET 设备本身在电路中创建导线的创新方法，方法是将导电金属纳米线图案化为线路，以连接分立元件。

项目成果

Reconfigurable multi-component micromachines driven by optoelectronic tweezers.

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25582-8
• 发表时间: 2021-09-09
• 期刊: Nature communications
• 影响因子: 16.6
• 作者: Zhang S;Elsayed M;Peng R;Chen Y;Zhang Y;Peng J;Li W;Chamberlain MD;Nikitina A;Yu S;Liu X;Neale SL;Wheeler AR
• 通讯作者: Wheeler AR

Influence of light pattern thickness on the manipulation of dielectric microparticles by optoelectronic tweezers

• DOI: 10.1364/prj.437528
• 发表时间: 2021-11
• 期刊: Photonics Research
• 影响因子: 7.6
• 作者: Shuailong Zhang;M. Elsayed;Ran Peng;Yujie Chen;Yanfeng Zhang;S. Neale;Aaron Wheeler

Escape from an Optoelectronic Tweezer Trap: experimental results and simulations.

逃离光电镊子陷阱：实验结果和模拟。

• DOI: 10.1364/oe.26.005300
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: Optics express
• 影响因子: 3.8
• 作者: Zhang S

Integrated Assembly and Photopreservation of Topographical Micropatterns (Small 37/2021)

形貌微图案的集成组装和光保存（小 37/2021）

• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202170193
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Small
• 影响因子: 13.3
• 作者: Zhang S

Manipulating and assembling metallic beads with Optoelectronic Tweezers.

• DOI: 10.1038/srep32840
• 发表时间: 2016-09-07
• 期刊: Scientific reports
• 影响因子: 4.6
• 作者: Zhang S;Juvert J;Cooper JM;Neale SL
• 通讯作者: Neale SL