High Yield Self Assembly of Functional Thermoelectric Devices

本奖项的研究目标是提高微尺度自组装工艺的速度和成品率。在自组装中，组件被设计成通过混合或搅拌等方式自发地结合在一起。组件装配速率和工艺良率取决于相互作用过程的特性。研究方法将首先验证和完善单个自组装键的力和能量模型。这些键模型将为随机过程模型提供关键输入，该模型将可控制的过程参数与过程速率和产量联系起来。这些模型将通过一个功能微系统的组装进行实验验证。微型热电冷却器。微型热电冷却器将由高性能纳米结构热电材料组装而成，以验证模型的预测能力。可交付成果包括毛细管键模型、一般自组装过程模型、实验模型验证、相关过程模型生成过程、结果文档以及对K-12学生的教育推广。如果成功，这项研究的结果将使组件的大规模集成太小，无法有效地拾取和操作使用当前的装配技术。这将通过集成新材料和设备来提高微系统的性能。例如，可以集成更小的热电元件，以更有效地冷却电子和光子设备，并降低废热回收的成本。通过该项目开发的模型和构建它们的方法可以适应使用其他键类型和其他尺寸尺度的自组装。这项工作中的例子将被纳入K-6学生的演讲中，以教授有关能源的重要概念，并增加学生对能源的兴趣。认识到科学和工程在他们的生活中所扮演的角色。高中的示范将被用来招募学生在暑假期间进行项目的动手实验工作。这个项目的进展也将整合到研究生和本科生的课程中。

The research objective of this award is increase rate and yield of microscale self-assembly processes. In self-assembly, components are designed to spontaneously bond when brought together as by mixing or agitation. The rate of component assembly and the process yield depend on the characteristics of the interaction processes. The research approach will first validate and refine force and energy models of individual self-assembly bonds. These bond models will provide key inputs into a stochastic process models that relate controllable process parameters to process rate and yield. The models will be experimentally validated through assembly of a function microsystem?a micro thermoelectric cooler. The micro thermoelectric cooler will be assembled from high performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials to validate the predictive capabilities of the models. Deliverables include capillary bond models, general self-assembly process models, experimental model validation, process of generating models of related processes, documentation of results, and educational outreach to K-12 students.If successful, the results of this research will enable large scale integration of components too small to effectively pick up and manipulate using current assembly techniques. This will improve performance of microsystems by enabling integration of new materials and devices. For example, smaller thermoelectric elements can be integrated for more efficient cooling of electronic and photonic equipment and lower cost recovery of waste heat. The models and the methods for building them developed through this project can be adapted to self-assembly using other bond types and at other size scales. Examples from this work will be incorporated into presentations to K-6 students to teach important concepts about energy and to increase students? recognition of the role science and engineering play in their lives. High school demonstrations will be used to recruit students for hands-on lab work on the project during the summers. Advances from this project will also be integrated into graduate and undergraduate courses.