AFM Nanotribomechanical Characterization of Thin Films for MEMS Applications

Nanotribological studies of thin films are needed to develop a fundamental understanding of the phenomena that occur to the interface surfaces that come in contact at the micro and nanoscale and to study the interfacial phenomena that occur in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and other applications. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been shown to be an instrument capable of investigating the nanomechanical behavior of many surfaces, including thin films. The measurements of tribo-mechanical behavior for MEMS materials are essential when it comes to designing and evaluating MEMS devices. A great deal of research has been conducted to evaluate the efficiency and reliability of different measurements methods for mechanical properties of MEMS material; nevertheless, the technologies regarding manufacturing and testing MEMS materials are not fully developed. The objectivesof this study are to focus on the review of the mechanical and tribological advantages of thin film and to highlight the experimental results of some thin films to obtain quantitative analyses, the elastic/plastic response and the nanotribological behavior. The slight fluctuation of the results for common thin-film materials is most likely due to the lack of international standardization for MEMS materials and for the methods used to measure their properties.

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Preparation and Characterization of BiFeO3 Film via Sol-Gel Spin-Coating Process

Key Engineering Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.492.202 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 492 ◽

pp. 202-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xi Wei Qi ◽

Xiao Yan Zhang ◽

Xuan Wang ◽

Hai Bin Sun ◽

Jian Quan Qi

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Indium Tin Oxide ◽

Sol Gel ◽

Secondary Phases ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Glass Substrates ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Ito Glass

BiFeO3 thin films were spin-coated on conductive indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass substrates by a simple sol-gel possess annealed at 470-590°C. The crystal structure of as-prepared BiFeO3 thin films annealed at different temperature was determined to be rhombohedral of R3m space and free of secondary phases was also confirmed. Cross section scanning electron microscope (SEM) pictures revealed that the thickness of BiFeO3 thin film was about 320 nm. The double remanent polarization 2Pr of BiFeO3 thin film annealed at 500°C is 2.5 μC/cm2 without applied field at room temperature. Image of atomic force microscopy indicated that the root-mean-square surface roughness value of BiFeO3 thin film was 6.13 nm.

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Biophysical Characterization of Thin Films of Zinc Oxide Prepared by Sol-Gel

NeuroQuantology ◽

10.14704/nq.2021.19.1.nq21008 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 57-61

Author(s):

Abothur Almohana ◽

Radea Hateem Jawad

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Sol Gel ◽

Biophysical Characterization ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Nano Powder ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Zno Powder

In this research, ZnO nano-powder was used, and the work was in two biological and physical parts. Where the work of the first part was to examine the effect of ZnO powder on Staphylococcus aureus, and the result of inhibition was 100%. As for the second part, the preparation of a thin film by the Sol-Gel method, where thin films were deposited on glass, the structural properties and topography of the surface were studied. The prevailing trend (101). Also, the results of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) tests showed that the resulting granular size of the prepared and annealed films with a temperature (400 ° C) was less than 100 nm, wherein an anti-bacterial nanoscale S. aureus was made.

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The Physicochemical and Antibacterial Properties of Chitosan-Based Materials Modified with Phenolic Acids Irradiated by UVC Light

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22126472 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 6472

Author(s):

Beata Kaczmarek-Szczepańska ◽

Marcin Wekwejt ◽

Olha Mazur ◽

Lidia Zasada ◽

Anna Pałubicka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Antimicrobial Activity ◽

Ferulic Acid ◽

Phenolic Acid ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Antibacterial Properties ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Before And After

This paper concerns the physicochemical properties of chitosan/phenolic acid thin films irradiated by ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths between 200 and 290 nm (UVC) light. We investigated the preparation and characterization of thin films based on chitosan (CTS) with tannic (TA), caffeic (CA) and ferulic acid (FA) addition as potential food-packaging materials. Such materials were then exposed to the UVC light (254 nm) for 1 and 2 h to perform the sterilization process. Different properties of thin films before and after irradiation were determined by various methods such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), mechanical properties and by the surface free energy determination. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of the films and their potential to reduce the risk of contamination was assessed. The results showed that the phenolic acid improving properties of chitosan-based films, short UVC radiation may be used as sterilization method for those films, and also that the addition of ferulic acid obtains effective antimicrobial activity, which have great benefit for food packing applications.

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Tip-Based Nanomachining on Thin Films: A Mini Review

Nanomanufacturing and Metrology ◽

10.1007/s41871-021-00115-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shunyu Chang ◽

Yanquan Geng ◽

Yongda Yan

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Data Storage ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Maintenance Cost ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Current State ◽

Two Dimensional Materials

AbstractAs one of the most widely used nanofabrication methods, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip-based nanomachining technique offers important advantages, including nanoscale manipulation accuracy, low maintenance cost, and flexible experimental operation. This technique has been applied to one-, two-, and even three-dimensional nanomachining patterns on thin films made of polymers, metals, and two-dimensional materials. These structures are widely used in the fields of nanooptics, nanoelectronics, data storage, super lubrication, and so forth. Moreover, they are believed to have a wide application in other fields, and their possible industrialization may be realized in the future. In this work, the current state of the research into the use of the AFM tip-based nanomachining method in thin-film machining is presented. First, the state of the structures machined on thin films is reviewed according to the type of thin-film materials (i.e., polymers, metals, and two-dimensional materials). Second, the related applications of tip-based nanomachining to film machining are presented. Finally, the current situation of this area and its potential development direction are discussed. This review is expected to enrich the understanding of the research status of the use of the tip-based nanomachining method in thin-film machining and ultimately broaden its application.

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Resonant Fatigue Testing of Cantilever Specimens Prepared from Thin Films

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-1139-gg03-17 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1139 ◽

Author(s):

Kwangsik Kwak ◽

Masaaki Otsu ◽

Kazuki Takashima

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Cantilever Beam ◽

Microelectromechanical Systems ◽

Fatigue Testing ◽

Crystalline Silicon ◽

Gold Foil ◽

Fatigue Properties ◽

Mems Devices ◽

Testing Method

AbstractFatigue properties of thin film materials are extremely important to design durable and reliable microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. However, it is rather difficult to apply conventional fatigue testing method of bulk materials to thin films. Therefore, a fatigue testing method fitted to thin film materials is required. In this investigation, we have developed a fatigue testing method that uses a resonance of cantilever type specimen prepared from thin films. Cantilever beam specimens with dimensions of 1(W) × 3(L) × 0.01(t) mm3 were prepared from Ni-P amorphous alloy thin films and gold foils. In addition, cantilever beam specimens with dimension of 3(L) × 0.3(W) × 0.005(t) mm3 were also prepared from single crystalline silicon thin films. These specimens were fixed to a holder that is connected to an golddio speaker used as an actuator, and were resonated in bending mode. In order to check the validity of this testing method, Young's moduli of these specimens were measured from resonant frequencies. The average Young's modulus of Ni-P was 108 GPa and that of gold foil specimen was 63 GPa, and these values were comparable with those measured by other techniques. This indicates that the resonance occurred theoretically-predicted manner and this testing method is valid for measuring the fatigue properties of thin films. Resonant fatigue tests were carried out for these specimens by changing amplitude range of resonance, and S-N curves were successfully obtained.

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Micromorphological characterization of polymer-oxide nanocomposite thin films by atomic force microscopy and fractal geometry analysis

Progress in Organic Coatings ◽

10.1016/j.porgcoat.2015.07.024 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 89 ◽

pp. 50-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Ştefan Ţălu ◽

Niranjan Patra ◽

Marco Salerno

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Atomic Force Microscopy ◽

Fractal Geometry ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Nanocomposite Thin Films ◽

Geometry Analysis

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Electrical characterization of oxygen-induced nanosized ripples on aluminum thin films by conductive atomic force microscopy

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms ◽

10.1016/j.nimb.2005.07.245 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 243 (1) ◽

pp. 16-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

P. Mishra ◽

P. Karmakar ◽

D. Ghose

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Atomic Force Microscopy ◽

Electrical Characterization ◽

Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force

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Microscopic Characterizations of Nanostructured Silicon Thin Films for Solar Cells

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2011.1097 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1321 ◽

Author(s):

Antonín Fejfar ◽

Petr Klapetek ◽

Jakub Zlámal ◽

Aliaksei Vetushka ◽

Martin Ledinský ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Maxwell Equations ◽

Amorphous Matrix ◽

Optical Power ◽

Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Silicon Thin Films ◽

Atomic Force

ABSTRACTMicroscopic characterization of mixed phase silicon thin films by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) was used to study the structure composed of conical microcrystalline grains dispersed in amorphous matrix. C-AFM experiments were interpreted using simulations of electric field and current distributions. Density of absorbed optical power was calculated by numerically solving the Maxwell equations. The goal of this study is to combine both models in order to simulate local photoconductivity for understanding the charge photogeneration and collection in nanostructured solar cells.

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Stability and Structural Characterization of Epitaxial NdNiO3 Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-658-gg3.27 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 658 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Trong-Duc Doan ◽

Cobey Abramowski ◽

Paul A. Salvador

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Pulsed Laser Deposition ◽

Substrate Surface ◽

Pulsed Laser ◽

Laser Deposition ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Atomic Force ◽

Monoclinic Distortion

ABSTRACTThin films of NdNiO3 were grown using pulsed laser deposition on single crystal substrates of [100]-oriented LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. X-ray diffraction and reflectivity, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the chemical, morphological and structural traits of the thin films. Single-phase epitaxial films are grown on LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 at 625°C in an oxygen pressure of 200 mTorr. At higher temperatures, the films partially decompose to Nd2NiO4 and NiO. The films are epitaxial with the (101) planes (orthorhombic Pnma notation) parallel to the substrate surface. Four in-plane orientational variants exist that correspond to the four 90° degenerate orientations of the film's [010] with respect to the in-plane substrate directions. Films are observed to be strained in accordance with the structural mismatch to the underlying substrate, and this leads, in the thinnest films on LaAlO3, to an apparent monoclinic distortion to the unit cell.

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