Abstract
Ever since its prediction, experimental investigation of the Casimir force has been of great scientific interest. Many research groups have successfully attempted quantifying the force with different device geometries; however, measurement of the Casimir force between parallel plates with sub-micron separation distance is still a challenging task, since it becomes extremely difficult to maintain sufficient parallelism between the plates. The Casimir force can significantly influence the operation of micro devices and to realize reliable and reproducible devices it is necessary to understand and experimentally verify the influence of the Casimir force at sub-micron scale. In this paper, we present the design principle, fabrication and characterization of micromachined parallel plate structures that could allow the measurement of the Casimir force with tunable separation distance in the range of 100 to 1000 nm. Initially, a gold coated parallel plate structure is explored to measure the Casimir force, but also other material combinations could be investigated. Using gold-silicon eutectic bonding, a reliable approach to bond chips with integrated suspended plates together with a well-defined separation distance in the order of 1–2 μm is developed.
Highlights
One of the most interesting outcomes of the quantum vacuum fluctuation is the prediction of the Casimir force by Hendrik G
The device is carefully assembled in a module using thin printed circuit boards (PCB) at either side for connection of the gold electrodes by wire bonding and protection of the fragile spring structures; see Figure 9(a)
A novel MEMS chip was presented for measuring the Casimir force between parallel plates with tunable separation distance
Summary
One of the most interesting outcomes of the quantum vacuum fluctuation is the prediction of the Casimir force by Hendrik G. The attraction is attributed to fluctuations in quantum vacuum of the electromagnetic fields within the cavity formed by two conducting plates in parallel acting as perfect mirrors. Inside the cavity one component of the momentum is quantized whereas outside the cavity all possible values of momentum are allowed At such condition, the radiation pressure from outside is larger than that from the inside and, as a result, the plates attract each other. The experiments conducted to measure the force deal with deposited materials having finite roughness and far from ideal reflectivity; besides the experiments are conducted at finite temperature. This gives a deviation in the measurement results when compared to the theoretical prediction. The corrections to Equation (1) due to these effects can be as large as 50%
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