TY - JOUR
T1 - Vertical deployment of multilayered metallic microstructures with high area-to-mass ratios by thermal actuation
AU - Ren, Zhongjing
AU - Yuan, Jianping
AU - Su, Xiaoyu
AU - Sun, Hao
AU - Galos, Richard
AU - Shi, Yong
AU - Mangla, Sundeep
AU - Lu, Ming
AU - Camino, Fernando
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2019 by ASME.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Lightweight microstructures with high area-to-mass ratios, or low surface densities, show great potential applications in microrobots, soft electronics, medical devices, and solar sailing. However, the bending stiffness of such microstructures is usually too low to work effectively. In order to obtain active microstructures with enhanced bending stiffness, a new design for thermally actuated multilayered metallic microstructures with high areato-mass ratios is presented in this article. The microstructures made of aluminum and NiTi alloy are fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility of vertical deployment of such microstructures under thermal actuation. The concept design and working principle of designed multilayered metallic microstructures are based on symmetrical deposition of metals Al\NiTi\NiTi\Al, followed by practical microfabrication processes, such as photolithography, physical vapor deposition (PVD), and dry etch. The area-to-mass ratios of such microstructures could be up to 400m2/kg. Then, experiments for electrical characterization are set up for thermal actuation or Joule heating. Besides that, the equivalent resistances of such microstructures with regard to temperatures are calibrated, allowing for the determination of in situ temperatures of deformed microstructures when being heated in the vacuum chamber of scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, vertical deployment of such thin microstructures is detected and measured, which validates the feasibility of stiffness enhancement through the symmetrical design and thermal actuation.
AB - Lightweight microstructures with high area-to-mass ratios, or low surface densities, show great potential applications in microrobots, soft electronics, medical devices, and solar sailing. However, the bending stiffness of such microstructures is usually too low to work effectively. In order to obtain active microstructures with enhanced bending stiffness, a new design for thermally actuated multilayered metallic microstructures with high areato-mass ratios is presented in this article. The microstructures made of aluminum and NiTi alloy are fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility of vertical deployment of such microstructures under thermal actuation. The concept design and working principle of designed multilayered metallic microstructures are based on symmetrical deposition of metals Al\NiTi\NiTi\Al, followed by practical microfabrication processes, such as photolithography, physical vapor deposition (PVD), and dry etch. The area-to-mass ratios of such microstructures could be up to 400m2/kg. Then, experiments for electrical characterization are set up for thermal actuation or Joule heating. Besides that, the equivalent resistances of such microstructures with regard to temperatures are calibrated, allowing for the determination of in situ temperatures of deformed microstructures when being heated in the vacuum chamber of scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, vertical deployment of such thin microstructures is detected and measured, which validates the feasibility of stiffness enhancement through the symmetrical design and thermal actuation.
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U2 - 10.1115/1.4043987
DO - 10.1115/1.4043987
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074472139
SN - 2166-0468
VL - 7
JO - Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing
JF - Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing
IS - 3
M1 - 031002
ER -