Abstract
This paper presents a design optimization method based on theoretical analysis and numerical calculations, using a commercial multi-physics solver (e.g., ANSYS and ESI CFD-ACE+), for a 3D continuous model, to analyze the bending characteristics of an electrically heated bimorph microcantilever. The results from the theoretical calculation and numerical analysis are compared with those measured using a CCD camera and magnification lenses for a chip level microcantilever array fabricated in this study. The bimorph microcantilevers are thermally actuated by joule heating generated by a 0.4 μm thin-film Au heater deposited on 0.6 μm Si3N4 microcantilevers. The initial deflections caused by residual stress resulting from the thermal bonding of two metallic layers with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) are additionally considered, to find the exact deflected position. The numerically calculated total deflections caused by electrical actuation show differences of 10%, on average, with experimental measurements in the operating current region (i.e., ~25 mA) to prevent deterioration by overheating. Bimorph microcantilevers are promising components for use in various MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) sensing applications, and their deflection characteristics in static mode sensing are essential for detecting changes in thermal stress on the surface of microcantilevers.
Highlights
The development of fabrication techniques for microelectronics has facilitated the fabrication of miniaturized devices
Because deflection due to residual stress is generated when metal layers with different thermal due to residual stress is generated when metal layers with different thermal expansion coefficients expansion coefficients are thermally bonded, for the application of the theoretical model, we considered only the length corresponding to the area where the Au thin film was deposited
A theoretical and numerical approach for investigating the bending behavior of a bimetallic corresponding experimental experimental microcantilever based on the multi-physics modeling method and its corresponding microcantilever based on the multi-physics modeling method and its corresponding experimental validation using optical measurements have been presented in this study
Summary
The development of fabrication techniques for microelectronics has facilitated the fabrication of miniaturized devices These techniques have primarily been developed for the microfabrication of silicon-based electronic devices such as transistors, diodes, and other circuit elements. Microcantilevers have recently attracted attention as detectors in nanocalorimeters due to their high sensitivity, low analyte requirement, quick response, and so on [2,3,4,5]. In microcantilever-based MEMS sensors, monitoring mechanical deflections (i.e., static mode sensing) in thermal response to changes in temperature has frequently been adopted as the sensing mechanism. The changes in surface temperature of the microcantilever can be induced by surface catalytic reactions [2,7] or infrared (IR) absorption [8]
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