AVS 51st International Symposium
    MEMS and NEMS Monday Sessions
       Session MN-MoM

Paper MN-MoM4
Multi-scale Friction Experiments Using Atomic Force Microscopy and Surface Micromachined Interfaces

Monday, November 15, 2004, 9:20 am, Room 213C

Session: Processing and Characterization for MEMS and NEMS
Presenter: E.E. Flater, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Authors: E.E. Flater, University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.D. Street, University of Wisconsin-Madison
A.D. Corwin, Sandia National Laboratories
M.P. de Boer, Sandia National Laboratories
R.W. Carpick, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Correspondent: Click to Email
Friction and wear are major limiting factors for the development and commercial implementation of devices fabricated by surface micromachining techniques. We use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the constitutive relation for friction for a single asperity nanoscale contact on micromachined surfaces. Friction is measured using AFM SiO@sub2@- and alkyl-monolayer terminated tips sliding on alkyl-terminated single crystal silicon. The alkyl monolayer coatings include octadecyltrichrolosilane (OTS), octadecene, and fluorinated monolayers (FOTAS). Frictional information at the nanoscale is then used to predict tribological properties of a polycrystalline silicon nanotractor device interface. This microscale friction and wear test device provides abundant, quantitative information about friction and wear at an actual microelectromechanical system (MEMS) interface. This in-situ approach to measuring tribological properties of MEMS, combined with high-resolution atomic force microscope images of device wear, provides insight into the effects of wear and prescriptions for avoiding it.