Micro and Nano Engineering最新文献

Polyetherimide (PEI) with 3-dimensional (3D) structures is a promising material for applications in electronic devices because of its numerous attractive properties. In the applications of PEI, the low electrical conductivity is often a shortcoming. The electrical conductivity can be improved by a metallization process. Electroless plating is a common metallization process for polymeric materials; however, conventional electroless plating process scarcely provides the metallized PEI. In this work, we overcome this limitation by a supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂)-assisted electroless NiP plating process. This scCO₂-assisted electroless NiP plating allows metallization of PEI with 3D structures and realizes a low electrical resistance suitable for practical use in the electronic devices.

As freshwater demand is constantly increasing, water purification via membrane distillation (MD) emerges as a promising water production technology, especially when combined with the use of superhydrophobic membranes. Here, following our previous work [1] we extend our universal, environmentally friendly, plasma nanotexturing and hydrophobization technology for rendering practically any type of membrane superhydrophobic and oleophobic. Thus, we render three commercial porous membranes superhydrophobic, namely, polyvinylidene (PVDF 0.45 μm) (initially hydrophobic), polyethersulfone (PES 1.20 μm) and nylon (NY 1.20 μm) (both initially hydrophilic). We demonstrate superhydrophobic, superoleophobic (down to 40mn/m surface tension) and oleophobic properties (down to 30mN/m surface tension) for PVDF, PES and Nylon membranes thus paving the way for their use with low surface tension waste streams. Moreover, the technology presented herein not only improves existing hydrophobic membranes but may lead to elimination of the use of Teflon-like fluorinated hydrophobic membranes altogether in the future, thereby contributing to the PFAS (Per and Poly Fluoro Alkyl Substances) and Teflon-like membrane use reduction. We subsequently evaluated the performance of the treated membranes in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for desalination of sea-like water (35 g/L NaCl). All membranes showed enhanced water flux with an increase of >13% compared to the pristine hydrophobic PVDF membranes for at least 2 h of continuous operation, with salt rejection exciding 99.99%.

Manufacturing of microstructures using a microfluidic device is a largely empirical effort due to the multi-physical nature of the fabrication process. As such, in moving toward autonomous manufacturing, models are desired that will predict microstructure attributes (e.g., size, porosity, and stiffness) based on known inputs, such as sheath and core fluid flow rates. Potentially more useful is the prospect of inputting desired microfiber features into a design model to extract appropriate manufacturing parameters. In this study, we demonstrate that deep neural networks (DNNs) trained with sparse datasets augmented by synthetic data can produce accurate predictive and design models to accelerate materials development. For our predictive model with known sheath and core flow rates and bath solution percentage, calculated solid microfiber dimensions are shown to be greater than 95% accurate, with porosity and Young's modulus exhibiting greater than 90% accuracy for a majority of conditions. Likewise, the design model is able to recover sheath and core flow rates with 95% accuracy when provided values for microfiber dimensions, porosity, and Young's modulus. As a result, DNN-based modeling of the microfiber fabrication process demonstrates high potential for reducing time to manufacture of microstructures with desired characteristics.

The previous decades have seen a massive increase in the research towards reproducible and optimized surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. While traditional colloidal synthesis methods have commonly been used for SERS substrate fabrication, they lack reproducibility hindering their usage for many applications. The need for reproducible nanostructures showing high orders of enhancement factors has brought about a shift in the methods one can use to fabricate SERS nanostructures. Lithographic techniques have thus piqued the interest of researchers as a viable option for SERS substrate fabrication. Not only do they offer high enhancement factors and reproducible nanostructures, they also provide the ability to fabricate nanostructures with many different geometries, shapes, sizes and periodicities. Some of the most established lithographic techniques include electron beam lithography, nanosphere lithography, laser interference lithography and many more. This review discusses established lithographic techniques, such as mentioned above, along with other upcoming lithographic techniques to understand the principles and the methodology behind them. A deep understanding of how various parameters can influence the nanostructure fabrication and thereby influence the SERS enhancement is developed. A detailed description of how these nanostructures can be fabricated is also provided for better insight. In addition, strengths and limitations of each method are discussed in detail. Lastly, we also discuss the applicability of SERS substrates for commercial applications comparing the performance of chemical synthesis routes and lithography for SERS substrate fabrication. This review serves as a base to understand the concept and application of SERS from a microfabrication perspective.

Generally speaking, energy harvesting is an up-to-date technology that describes the possibility of capturing small amounts of energy (thermal, solar, or mechanical) from the surroundings and storing them as electrical energy for later uses when needed. Among the energy harvesting systems, the use of piezoelectric thin films and coatings is gaining increasing interest from both the academic and industrial communities, as these systems allow for the design and development of micro- and nano-scale devices, thanks to the possibility of being micromachined and to the added functionality offered by the electromechanical coupling. These peculiarities justify their use for different applications, ranging from high energy density harvesters to high sensitivity sensors, and even low power consumption and large displacement actuators. Further, the current focus of the research on piezoelectric energy harvesting coatings is shifting from fully inorganic to hybrid organic-inorganic (i.e., composite) systems, as the latter can offer higher flexibility (i.e., lower stiffness), making them more sensitive to small vibrations and therefore suitable for these specific harvesting conditions. In this regard, photoinduced polymerization (the so-called “UV-curing”) has become a suitable and reliable technique for the manufacturing of piezoelectric composite systems, as it is a solvent-free approach that allows for transforming a liquid mixture of monomers/oligomers into a solid 3D network in a few seconds, with a very limited energy consumption and a very high conversion. Besides, as the UV-curing process is very fast, the dispersed ceramic piezoelectric phase is not prone to settle down in the liquid resin, hence ensuring its homogeneous distribution within the polymer network after curing and better piezoelectric performance. The present review aims to provide the reader with an up-to-date overview of UV-curable coatings for piezoelectric energy harvesting purposes, highlighting their potential and piezoelectric features; further, some perspectives about possible future developments will be proposed.

In this paper the characterization of the mr-EBL 6000.5, which is an epoxy resin based chemically amplified negative tone resist from micro resist technology (Germany, Berlin) for an Intra-Level Mix & Match (ILM&M) approach is presented. The ILM&M approach combined at least two exposure technologies on the same resist layer showing the advantage to resolve patterns of different dimensions with less process steps and short processing time. Since the mr-EBL 6000.5 resist is capable of being sensitive to both electron- and UV-radiation, process parameters for i-line stepper lithography and electron beam lithography (EBL) needs to be investigated to be capable for the ILM&M approach. First, a spin curve and a post exposure bake (PEB) study were applied to find suitable process parameters for both exposure technologies. Furthermore, the minimum feature sizes for both patterning technologies are investigated by using a 500 nm thick resist layer. The impact of small feature sizes near the CD-limit of the used i-line stepper (350 nm) on the resist thickness after the development was investigated in dependence of the PEB. After all parameters were examined, they were combined to be used in the ILM&M.

This article discusses the important role that optical lithography has played in realizing Moore's Law. With the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and the Internet of Things, the demand for computing power and data storage capacity has never been as large as today. Optical lithography has been able to keep up with the resolution demand by increasing the Numerical Aperture of the projection Lens, decreasing the wavelength and innovative resist schemes. After the introduction of Immersion lithography and Double patterning, EUV was introduced by the industry. Although the transition from 193 nm lithography to EUV lithography was very difficult, EUV follows the same scaling laws as Optical Lithography. The conclusion is that the scaling laws of Optical Lithography continue to support Moore's Law, through the development of high NA EUV Lithography.

In this study, a method for depositing and patterning the thermosensitive polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) on SiO₂ surfaces is presented for potential use in nano-sized microfluidic channels. Two approaches based on nanolithographic processes are shown for this purpose. In both cases, a self-assembling monolayer consisting of (3-aminopropyl)-dimethylethoxysilane was bound to the hydroxyl group of the substrate surface and subsequently functionalized with the polymerization initiator α-bromoisobutyryl bromide. In the first approach the silane monolayer itself was patterned using a photoresist and a lift-off process, followed by the selective deposition of the initiator, which starts a substrate-induced atom transfer radical polymerization for the growth of polymer on the silane monolayer. In the second approach, the lift-off takes place after the polymerization on the substrate surface. The result of this study shows the successful application of the process steps for the nano-dimensioned grafting of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) onto SiO₂ substrates. The reaction time of the silane monolayer with the polymerization initiator and the composition of the reaction solution used were found to have the greatest influence of the processes. AFM and XPS analysis of the functionalized surfaces revealed patterned growth of both the self-assembling monolayer and the polymer structures.

Over the past few years, water quality monitoring has swiftly emerged as a thrust area for most of the developing nations. Despite its renewable essence, incessant industrialization and urbanization have depleted the natural water resources, culminating in adverse impact on potable water quality. As a consequence, reliable technologies with utmost sensitivity and accurate predictions vis-à-vis authentic qualitative standards are urgently needed. Herein, interest in using gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) biosensors to gauge the qualitative profile of water resources has been quite significant. Major fascinations for Au NPs biosensing driven water quality monitoring are steadfast preparation methodologies, well-understood mechanisms for size-shape modulation and inert sensitivity manifested remarkable functionalization abilities. The size-shape modulated functionalization advances for Au NPs are the dynamic outcomes of their quantum effects, anchored via single or multidimensional quantum confinements (QCs). Morphologies as vibrant as rod, spherical, cylindrical, shells and combinatorial regime have been the backbone aspects of Au NPs based biosensors. With such insights, the present article focuses on last decade noted advances aimed at Au NPs biosensors assessed water quality. The studies discussed herewith were retrieved from Pubmed using the keywords, “Gold Nanoparticle Biosensors for Water Quality Monitoring”. The knowledge shared herein could consolidate the fabrication of future Au nanomaterials based sensing technologies vis-à-vis functionalization mechanisms, cost considerations, precision aspects, integrated possibilities and long-term cautions.

Plasmonic metamaterial absorbers (PMAs) designed for multispectral imaging in the infrared (IR) with uncooled microbolometers are investigated. The study presents Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements of PMAs consisting of metal-insulator-metal-stacks (MIM) with square-shaped micropatches as top metal layers. The measurements reveal high absorptances of 82% to 99% for distinct wavelengths within a range from 2 μm to 9.2 μm. The spectra are evaluated with respect to the lateral dimensions of the patches and to the refractive indices of the used dielectrics SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Ta₂O₅. Numerical simulations and analytical calculations of the TM₀₁₀-mode using the transmission line model (TLM) for microstrip antennas show good qualitative agreement with the measurement results. Additionally, bispectral PMAs were fabricated consisting of fields of PMAs with two different patch sizes arranged in a chessboard pattern. The individual fields of this pattern correspond to microbolometers with 12 μm pitch in shape and size. Two distinct absorption maxima can be seen in the spectra measured by FTIR. The choice of materials, deposition methods and patterning processes is suitable for the integration into the existing Fraunhofer IMS's nanotube microbolometer technology to realize multispectral infrared imaging. The fabrication process is CMOS-compatible and carried out on 8-in. wafers.