Atomic layer deposition for membranes, metamaterials, and machines

ORAL

Abstract

Ultra-thin films of inorganic materials are well-suited for fabrication of micron-scale actuators because they can sustain small radii of curvature, are compatible with semiconductor processing, and are chemically robust. We leverage atomic layer deposition (ALD) to produce free-standing mechanical devices with sub-5 nm film thicknesses. We fabricate cantilevers from ALD films to characterize the mechanical properties. We find that ALD films are elastic and exhibit a bending stiffness on the order of 10^-15 J. These measurements enable fabrication of cantilever springs with ultra-low spring constants suitable for micron-scale machinery. ALD mechanical metamaterials are fabricated by patterning of both the film and its substrate. Corrugations transferred into the ALD film enhance its bending stiffness and enable bending anisotropy, while cuts etched into the film soften the in-plane response. We integrate these results to produce magnetically actuated three-dimensional devices with applications in micromachinery.

*This work was supported by NSF DMREF DMR-1435829, AFOSR MURI FA2386-13-1-4118, and NSF MRI DMR-1429155. This work was performed in part at the CNF supported by NSF Grant ECCS-1542081 and the CCMR supported by NSF MRSEC DMR-1719875.

Presenters

  • Kyle J Dorsey

    • School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
    • Physics, Cornell University

Authors

  • Kyle J Dorsey

    • School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
    • Physics, Cornell University
  • Tanner G Pearson

    • School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
  • Edward P Esposito

    • Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University
  • Baris Bircan

    • School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
    • Physics, Cornell University
  • Yimo Han

    • School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
    • Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
  • Sierra Russell

    • Nanoscale Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic
  • David Anthony Muller

    • School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
    • Cornell University
    • Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University
  • Itai Cohen

    • Department of Physics, Cornell University
    • Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University
    • Physics, Cornell University
    • Department of Physics, LASSP, Cornell University
    • Physics Department, Cornell University
    • Cornell University
  • Paul L McEuen

    • Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University
    • Physics, Cornell University
    • Department of Physics, LASSP, Cornell University
    • Physics Department, Cornell University
    • Cornell University