A Tribological Study of SU-8 Micro-Dot Patterns Printed on Si Surface in a Flat-on-Flat Reciprocating Sliding Test

Abstract

Tribological properties of optimized SU-8 micro-dot patterns on Silicon (Si) were evaluated using a flat-on-flat tribometer. Sliding tests on the patterns were conducted against a SU-8 spin-coated 2 × 2 mm2 Si substrate at varying normal loads at a fixed rotational speed. It was observed that the pitch of the SU-8 pattern on Si substrate had significant influence on the wear durability. Ultra-thin layer of perfluoropolyether was over-coated onto SU-8 micro-dot patterned specimens for enhanced wear durability, and the specimen of the optimized pitch 450 μm has shown a wear life of more than 100,000 cycles at a normal load of 650 mN.