MEMS COMPONENTS FORMED FROM NANOSTRUCTURAL METALS

等通道角加工（ECAP）生产的纳米级颗粒材料为创新产品提供了新的结构和功能特性，具有广泛的应用前景。通过使金属和合金在静水压力下产生高度的塑性变形，ECAP开辟了从传统微结构中制造纳米级颗粒的道路，而不涉及昂贵、危险的纳米粉末。ECAP的可行性和一系列ECAP合金的高成形性已经得到证明，但到目前为止，它的工业应用仍处于起步阶段。微机电系统（MEMS）是一个很有前途但尚未开发的应用。在二十一世纪，MEMS作为一项关键技术的成功取决于与复杂MEMS器件的设计和制造相关的材料问题的解决。材料科学关注的关键领域包括可微制造的可用材料集的扩展，可用于微制造结构的工艺集的改进，以及用于表征和选择MEMS应用材料的方法的改进。利用不断扩展的制造工艺和新材料，MEMS将为集成微机电系统提供小尺寸，低成本和高功能的优势。纳米结构铝对MEMS具有吸引力，因为与竞争材料（Si, SiO2, Si3N4, Ni）相比，它可以提供更好的机械性能，并且具有非常优越的导电性和导热性。此外，使用拟议的SPD加工加上亚微米尺寸公差有可能导致极低成本的批量生产。该项目旨在进一步加强南安普顿大学工程科学学院实验室的实验室规模ECAP设备，该设备将用作生产超细颗粒材料的设施。MEMS元件的模具将通过光刻图像化和DRIE来设计和制造，而热交换器和微热管等MEMS元件将通过这些超细颗粒材料的压花来制造。研究人员将利用仪器压印装置、电子显微镜和力学模型来了解影响MEMS元件微观结构和性能的微观结构和摩擦学因素。该项目有潜力为更传统的行业提供一个门户，通过加工eced铝合金来开发新的MEMS应用，从而为纳米技术做出贡献。

Materials with nano-scale sized grains produced by equal channel angular processing (ECAP) offer new structural and functional properties for innovative products in a wide range of applications. By subjecting metals and alloys to a high degree of plastic deformation under hydrostatic pressure, ECAP opens the way to create nano-scaled grains from conventional microstructures, without involving costly, hazardous nano-powders. The feasibility of ECAP, and high formability of a range of ECAPed alloys, has already been demonstrated, but so far its industrial application is still in its infancy. A promising, but as yet unexplored application is for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The success of MEMS as a key technology in the twenty-first century depends on the solution of materials issues associated with the design and fabrication of complex MEMS devices. Key areas for materials science to focus on include the extension of the available set of materials that can be microfabricated, the refinement of the set of processes available to microfabricate structures, and improvement of the methods used to characterize and select materials for MEMS applications. Using an ever-expanding set of fabrication processes and new materials, MEMS will provide the advantages of small size, low-cost and high-functionality to integrated microelectromechanical systems. Nano-structured aluminium is attractive for MEMS as it can offer improved mechanical properties compared to competing materials (Si, SiO2, Si3N4, Ni) combined with greatly superior electrical and thermal conductivity. In addition, the use of the proposed SPD processing coupled with sub-micron dimensional tolerances has the potential to result in very low cost mass production. This project is designed to further enhance a lab-scale ECAP facility at the laboratory of the School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, which will be used as the facility to produce ultra-fine grain materials. Dies for MEMS components will be designed and created by lithographic patterning and DRIE, and MEMS components such as heat exchangers and micro heat pipes will be made by embossing from these ultra-fine grain materials. An instrumented embossing rig, together with electron microscopy and mechanics modelling of the process will be investigated to understand the microstructural and tribological factors affecting the microstructures and properties of the MEMS components. This project has the potential to provide a gateway for a more traditional industry to contribute to nanotechnology through processing ECAPed aluminium alloys to develop new MEMS applications.