Three-Dimensional Modeling of Solder Shape for the Design of Solder Self-Assembled Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) can be assembled by harnessing the surface tension of liquid solder. In order to assemble the MEMS to precise positions, the shape of the solder, of a given volume, must be known. This paper presents two methods of modeling the shape of solder wetted between two MEMS plates. One method accurately models the solder shape by finding the minimum surface energy shape. A second, less accurate but faster, method approximates the solder shape using simple geometric shapes. The geometric shape model can be trained to be just as accurate as the minimum surface energy model.