Microstructural Scaling Effects in Microsystems

摘要

With the continuously shrinking dimensions in microsystems, scaling effects become more and more important in the manufacture and ultimate performance of devices such as sensors, actuators, microelectromechanical systems, etc. One example is dimensional or fundamental scaling which considers the external size dependence of properties such as cube dependence for magnetic force versus area dependence for thermal loss. This paper deals with material intrinsic scaling effects imposed by the micro-structure of the materials used in the manufacture of micro devices. Recent advances in the understanding of the effect of grain size (in the range from 1μm down to 10nm) on various physical and mechanical properties will be reviewed. It will then be shown that, for many microsystem applications, grain size becomes an important design parameter in efforts to achieve optimum and reliable system performance. Specific examples of materials produced by electrodeposi-tion technology will be presented.