Abstract
Self-assembly is a promising technique to overcome fundamental limitations with integrating, packaging, and general handling of individual electronic-related components with characteristic lengths significantly smaller than 1 mm. Here we describe the use of magnetic and capillary forces to self-assemble 280 µm sized silicon building blocks into interconnected structures which approach a three-dimensional crystalline configuration. Integrated permanent magnet microstructures provided magnetic forces, while a low-melting-point solder alloy provided capillary forces. A finite element model of forces between the magnetic features demonstrated the utility of magnetic forces at this size scale. Despite a slight departure from designed dimensions in the actual fabricated parts, the combination of magnetic and capillary forces improved the assembly yield to 8%, over approximately 0.1% achieved previously with capillary forces alone.
Highlights
The manufacture of microsystems by assembling pre-microfabricated parts in different ways may enable many new applications in sensing, microrobotics, and even high performance computing
We present methods to employ both short-range capillary forces, and the longer range attraction of magnetic forces, to realize a three-dimensional fabrication method which may be used for assembly of future micromachines, electronic circuits, or even three-dimensional meta materials
We have demonstrated magnetic forces combined with capillary forces to provide a route towards three dimensional, interconnected self-assembly
Summary
The manufacture of microsystems by assembling pre-microfabricated parts in different ways may enable many new applications in sensing, microrobotics, and even high performance computing. Self-assembly has been studied as a way to enable these advantages through the handling, packaging, and integration of parts to create two or three dimensional structures in a highly parallel and scalable manner [1]. Self-assembly is applicable for parts or components having length scales below 0.5 mm [2], because the number of parts needed to create useful structures or systems may be very large, and conventional pick and place or other serial assembly methods become infeasible. Manual or robotic pick and place methods become increasingly difficult as surface forces become dominant at shorter length scales. Self-assembly aims to take advantage of these dominant forces by directing a collection of parts toward desired binding sites and in desired orientations
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