CAREER: Microassembly Using Transfer Printing for MEMS Fabrication

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award is to understand the fundamental limits of transfer printing regarding dry adhesion control and extend it to 3D additive micromanufacturing for the flexible production of microsystems. Transfer printing is a method to transfer solid materials from a substrate where they are generated to a different substrate by using controlled dry adhesion of elastomeric stamps. This approach in conjunction with material bonding techniques will enable the assembly of 3D microsystems with heterogeneous materials that cannot be realized by conventional monolithic microfabrication. As a step toward the research objective, shape memory polymer will be studied in terms of controllable dry adhesion to overcome the limit of elastomeric stamp-based transfer printing. Furthermore, the fundamental physical properties of interfaces formed by transfer printing will be characterized and laser assisted localized bonding will be exploited to establish transfer printing-based 3D additive micromanufacturing. The educational objective of this project is to transfer the experience and excitement of adhesion science and microscale engineering to students with diverse backgrounds. This will be accomplished by building teaching modules in adhesion science for K-12 outreach, developing course and curriculum in advanced micromanufacturing for undergraduate/graduate programs, and participating in existing outreach activities for underrepresented students at the University of Illinois. Knowledge obtained from this research will complement and transform the manufacture of microsystems towards flexible, rapid, and cost-effective production. Microsystems, such as the miniaturization of large scale ordinary 3D machines, are indispensable for advancing modern technologies. Current hindrances to further innovations in microsystems encompass the difficulty of 3D manufacturing and the process complexity originated from the nature of layer-by-layer microfabrication. The outcomes from this award will mitigate these hindrances, thus greatly benefit microscale scientific research and the manufacturing sector in the USA by providing a new transformative methodology for 3D additive micromanufacturing.