Spatially Controlled Transience of Graphene‐Polymer Electronics with Silicon Singulation

Transient electronics are an emerging technology for civilian and government applications that require controlled disintegration of an electronic chip into smaller components, by physical or chemical means. Here, a pillar‐on‐polymer architecture is presented for a transient system where the electronic components are partitioned on an array of silicon pillars. The pillars are mechanically tethered by a vaporizable polymer film and electrically routed with atomically thin graphene interconnects. Polymer vaporization is achieved with Joule heating of thin‐film metal heaters associated with each silicon pillar, which singulates the pillar. The pillar singulation breaks the graphene interconnects locally, without collateral damage to other on‐chip components. This process demonstrates a methodology for temporally and spatially controlled transience as any single pillar can be singulated at any time. A novel polymer‐silicon layer transfer fabrication process is used to microfabricate a 3 × 3 array of 200 µm diameter silicon pillars spaced 200 µm apart, with gold heaters and graphene interconnects, and the controlled singulation of individual pillars is demonstrated. As a demonstration of a sensor in this technology, a piezoresistive accelerometer is integrated with this platform, which uses a silicon pillar array suspended from the polymer film as a proof mass.     

Buckling‐Based Strong Dry Adhesives Via Interlocking

High‐aspect‐ratio shape‐memory polymer (SMP) pillar arrays are investigated as a new type of dry adhesive based on buckling and interlocking mechanism. When two identical SMP pillar arrays are engaged at 80 °C, above the glass transition temperature at a preload larger than the critical buckling threshold, the pillars are deformed and become interweaved and/or indented with each other. After cooling to room temperature, strong pull‐off forces are observed in the normal and shear directions, both of which are much larger than those from pillar‐to‐flat surface and flat‐to‐flat surface contact. From finite element anaylsis (FEA) and comparison of measured and calculated adhesion values using different contact mechanics models, it is shown that interweaved pillars are the main source that contributes to the pillar‐to‐pillar adhesion and the indented pillars set the lower limit, whereas the probability of interdigitation is very low. Further, it is found that interweaved pillars are primarily responsible for the decreased adhesion strength and increased anisotropy when the pillar spacing became larger. Finally, it is shown that the bonded pillars can be easily separated after reheating to 80 °C due to significant drop of modulus of SMPs.     

The impact of aggregating benefit and cost criteria in four MCDA methods

Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) problems (also known as multicriteria decision-making or MCDM) involve the ranking of a finite set of alternatives in terms of a finite number of decision criteria. Often times such criteria may be in conflict with each other. That is, an MCDA problem may involve both benefit and cost criteria at the same time. Although this is a frequent characteristic of many real-life MCDA problems, this subject has not received adequate attention in the literature. This paper examines the use of four key MCDA methods when two approaches for dealing with conflicting criteria are used. The two approaches are the benefit to cost ratio approach and the benefit minus cost approach. The MCDA methods used in this study are the weighted sum model, the weighted product model, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) along with some of its variants, including the multiplicative AHP. Not surprisingly, these two approaches for aggregating conflicting criteria may result in a different indication of the best alternative or ranking of all alternatives when they are used on the same problem. As it is demonstrated here, it is also possible for the two approaches to even result in the opposite ranking of the alternatives. An extensive empirical analysis of this methodological problem revealed that the previous phenomena might occur frequently on simulated MCDA problems. The WSM, the AHP, and the revised AHP performed in an almost identical manner in these tests. The contradiction rates in these tests were rather significant and became more dramatic when the number of alternatives was high. Although it may not be possible to know which ranking is the "correct" one, this study also theoretically proved that the multiplicative AHP is immune to these ranking inconsistencies.     

Mechanically Flexible Chip-to-Substrate Optical Interconnections Using Optical Pillars

We experimentally characterize the benefits of using surface-normal mechanically flexible optical waveguides, or optical pillars, for chip-to-substrate optical interconnection. In order to benchmark the performance of the optical pillars, the optical coupling efficiency from a light source to an optical aperture with and without an optical pillar is measured. For a light source with 12deg beam divergence, a 50times150 mum optical pillar improves the coupling efficiency by 2-4 dB compared to pillar-free (free-space) optical coupling. A 30times150 m optical pillar improves the coupling efficiency by 3-4.5 dB. This demonstrates the importance of using optical pillars when small photodetectors (PDs) and dense optical input/outputs (I/Os) are needed. The optical excess losses of 50times150 mum optical pillars are measured to be less than 0.2 dB. Due to the high mechanical flexibility of the pillars, we also demonstrate that optical pillars enhance the optical coupling efficiency between the chip and substrate when they are misaligned in the lateral direction. This is especially important since the coefficient of thermal expansion of the chip and substrate are often mismatched, and preserving optical alignment and interconnection between them is critical during thermal excursions. The lateral mechanical compliance of the optical pillars is also measured and can be as great as 30 mum/mN. The optical pillars are also shown to be compliant under a compressive force thus allowing the optical I/Os to be assembled on nonplanar surfaces such as low-cost organic substrates.     

Application of simulation-based decision making in product development of an RF module

This paper presents results of simulation-based design evaluation for thermal and thermo-mechanical performance and cost of packaging technology of a RF module for automotive application. Combination of thermal, thermo-mechanical and cost analysis within the multi-attribute decision making enabled design ranking and revealed two MCM-L/D and MCM-D designs with wire bonding assembly preferred for use in automotive applications for different temperature environments. Simulation-based design guidelines were developed for designing electronic modules exhibiting good thermal and thermo-mechanical performance. By application-based partitioning of the importance weights assigned to the reliability and cost criteria, the guidelines were extended to cover other application areas.     

Low-k compatible all-copper flip-chip connections

A novel fabrication technique using electroless copper deposition has been used to produce all-copper, chip-to-substrate connections. This process replaces solder by electrolessly joining copper pillars on the chip and substrate. The electroless copper joints were annealed at 180 °C after plating. A model was developed to explore methods for lowering the stress within the copper pillar, especially at the point where the pillar intersects the chip surface. The acceptable stress level within the copper pillars is a function of the on-chip dielectric material and the on-chip interconnect structures. In order to avoid fracture of the on-chip dielectric, the stress in the copper pillars should be less than the current lead-free solders that the all-copper pillars would be replacing. A polymer collar surrounding the copper pillars was used to support the pillars and improves thermo-mechanical reliability. The improvement in stress-reduction, ultimately leading to higher reliability was studied as a function of elastic modulus of the polymer collar support. It has been shown that the pillar stress generated during temperature cycling can be reduced by increasing the modulus of the pillar support and changing the shape of the copper pillars. Finally, three high-contrast photodefinable collar materials were characterized and tested. Nano-indentation experiments were performed to measure the mechanical properties of each material and shear tests were performed to verify the benefits of the higher elastic modulus collars.     

Three‐Dimensional Inkjet‐Printed Interconnects using Functional Metallic Nanoparticle Inks

Inkjet‐printed gold nanoparticle pillars are investigated as a high‐performance alternative to conventional flip‐chip interconnects for electronic packages, with significant advantages in terms of mechanical/chemical robustness and conductivity. The process parameters critical to pillar fabrication are described and highly uniform pillar arrays are demonstrated. More generally, this work underscores the impact of sintering on the electrical, mechanical, structural, and compositional properties of three‐dimensional nanoparticle‐based structures. Using heat treatments as low as 200 °C, electrical and mechanical performance that outcompetes conventional lead‐tin eutectic solder materials is achieved. With sintering conditions reaching 300 °C it is possible to achieve pillars with properties comparable to bulk gold. This work demonstrates the immense potential for both inkjet printing and metal nanoparticles to become a viable and cost‐saving alternative to both conventional electronic packaging processes and application‐specific integration schemes.     

Anodic-Oxidation Growth of Microscopic Pillar Arrays: Kinetic Aspects

The three-step fabrication of microscopic pillar arrays by the anodic oxidation of Al/Ta thin-film structures on dielectric or silicon substrates is studied experimentally. The major features of pillar-growth kinetics are described. The main properties of the arrays are evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and simultaneous current–voltage tracing. The ranges of variation for geometric array parameters are determined. The pillars grown have a maximum height-to-diameter ratio of 17.0, a maximum height of 540 nm, and a minimum radius of about 15 nm. The maximum density of pillars in an array is 8.25 × 10¹⁰cm^–2. A good reproducibility of physical and morphological properties is achieved for large-area pillar arrays. Potential applications of pillar arrays are recited: light-emitting diodes, thin-film controllers, solar batteries, spatial light modulators, polarizers, etc. It is noted that an investigation into the fabrication of pillar arrays for field-emitter displays is currently in progress.     

A Novel Bioinspired Switchable Adhesive with Three Distinct Adhesive States

A novel switchable adhesive, inspired by the gecko's fibrillar dry attachment system, is introduced. It consists of a patterned surface with an array of mushroom‐shaped pillars having two distinct heights. The different pillar heights allow control of the pull‐off force in two steps by application of a low and a high preload. For low preload, only the long pillars form contact, resulting in a low pull‐off force. At higher preload, all pillars form contact, resulting in high pull‐off force. Even further loading leads to buckling induced detachment of the pillars which corresponds to extremely low pull‐off force. To achieve the respective samples a new fabrication method called double inking is developed, to achieve multiple‐height pillar structures. The adhesion performance of the two‐step switchable adhesive is analysed at varying preload and for different pillar aspect ratios and height relations. Finally, the deformation behavior of the samples is investigated by in situ monitoring.     

Compositionally Modulated Magnetic Epitaxial Spinel/Perovskite Nanocomposite Thin Films

There is great interest in self‐assembled oxide vertical nanocomposite films consisting of epitaxial spinel pillars in a single crystal perovskite matrix, due to their tunable electronic, magnetic, and multiferroic properties. Varying the composition or geometry of the pillars in the out‐of‐plane direction has not been previously reported but can provide new routes to tailoring their properties in three dimensions. In this work, ferrimagnetic epitaxial CoFe₂O₄, MgFe₂O₄, or NiFe₂O₄ spinel nanopillars with an out‐of‐plane modulation in their composition and shape are grown in a BiFeO₃ matrix on a (001) SrTiO₃ substrate using pulsed laser deposition. Changing the pillar composition during growth produces a homogeneous pillar composition due to cation interdiffusion, but this can be suppressed using a sufficiently thick blocking layer of BiFeO₃ to produce bi‐pillar films containing for example a layer of magnetically hard CoFe₂O₄ pillars and a layer of magnetically soft MgFe₂O₄ pillars, which form in different locations. A thinner blocking layer enables contact between the top of the CoFe₂O₄ and the bottom of the MgFe₂O₄ which leads to correlated growth of the MgFe₂O₄ pillars directly above the CoFe₂O₄ pillars and provides a path for interdiffusion. The magnetic hysteresis of the nanocomposites is related to the pillar structure.     

Polarization characteristics of index-guided surface-emitting lasers with tilted pillar structure

We report precise control of polarization states for index-guided surface-emitting lasers by tilted-etching of the laser pillar. Circular laser pillars were etched by tilting the substrate toward ~110 or ~11~0 direction with an angle of 15/spl deg/-30/spl deg/ using reactive ion beam etching. For the laser device with a diameter of 7-10 /spl mu/m, we observed selectivity of the polarization state. We found a dominant polarization with an electric field perpendicular to the tilted direction of laser pillar. The maximum orthogonal polarization suppression ratio was about 25 dB. The selectivity of polarization in the tilted laser pillar devices is interpreted to be originated from the difference in optical losses for the two waves polarized to ~110 and ~11~0 directions.     

基于PZFlex的1-3压电复合材料横向振动模仿真

1-3型压电复合材料具有高机电耦合系数和低声阻抗,适用于制作水声和医疗超声换能器,但是1-3型压电复合材料的横向振动模会降低换能器的性能,限制换能器的小型化和高频化。该文设计了一组具有矩形压电陶瓷柱的1-3型压电复合材料,复合材料的厚度为0.32 mm,陶瓷柱宽度为0.08 mm,长度为0.10~0.25 mm,刀缝宽度为0.05 mm。利用有限元软件PZFlex进行了建模计算,仿真结果表明,复合材料的厚度谐振频率和反谐振频率分别为4.5 MHz、6 MHz,随着陶瓷柱长度的增大,横向谐振频率逐渐向低频处移动,当陶瓷柱长度和高度比值大于0.69时,横向谐振和厚度谐振发生模式耦合。该文基于复合材料设计了换能器,利用PiezoCAD软件计算得到换能器的中心频率为4.7 MHz。     

Fabrication of 60 nm pitch ordered InP pillars by EB-lithography and anodization

We obtained ordered 60 nm pitch InP triangular vertical pillars with a high density of approximately 50% by combining electron-beam lithography and anodization techniques. For the lower dose condition of 2.3 × 10⁻⁶ nC/dot, triangular pillars of 70% density were observed within 5% of the average pillar size (Fig. 2). Furthermore, using dry etching transfer onto SiO₂, we obtained ordered 40 nm pitch pillars and observed photoluminescence intensity compa-rable to that from bulk InP substrates, indicating negligible nonradiative recombination.     

Guaranteed stability margins for discrete-time LQ optimal regulators for the performance index with cross-product terms

In this paper, the stability robustness of deterministic state feedback discretetime linear quadratic (LQ) optimal regulators for the performance index with cross-product terms is analyzed. Guaranteed stability margins for such a type of LQ optimal regulator are suggested for the first time. These stability margins are obtained on the basis of a modified return difference equality and are expressed directly in terms of the elementary cost and system matrices. Sufficient conditions to guarantee the required stability margins are presented. Finally, the connection between the suggested stability margins and the selection of weighting state, input, and cross-product matrices is investigated, and useful guidelines for choosing proper weighting matrices are presented.     

Development of virtual reliability methodology for area-arraydevices used in implantable and automotive applications

The number of thermal cycles, the temperature range, and the time of dwell used for qualifying a microelectronic package should be based on the type of application the package is intended for. However, in the absence of specific guidelines, the industrial practice is to subject the devices to military-standard qualification tests without adequate consideration for the application the devices are intended for. This work aims at developing temperature cycling guidelines for packages used in implantable medical devices and automotive applications taking into consideration the thermal history associated with the field conditions. Numerical models have been developed that take the time- and temperature-dependent behavior of the solder joints and the viscoelastic behavior of the underfill besides the temperature-dependent orthotropic properties of the substrate for a flip-chip on board (FCOB) assembly and a flip chip chip-scale package (FCCSP) on organic board assembly. The models account for solder reflow process, underfill cure process, and burn-in testing of the devices. Qualification temperature cycling guidelines have been developed for implantable devices based on the information collected in terms of shipping, EM sterilization, and implantation temperature profiles, and for the automotive devices based on the representative field conditions     

Intermetallic Compound Growth and Reliability of Cu Pillar Bumps Under Current Stressing

Fine-pitch Cu pillar bumps have been adopted for flip-chip bonding technology. Intermetallic compound (IMC) growth in Cu pillar bumps was investigated as a function of annealing or current stressing by in situ observation. The effect of IMC growth on the mechanical reliability of the Cu pillar bumps was also investigated. It is noteworthy that Sn exhaustion was observed after 240 h of annealing when current stressing was not applied, and IMC growth rates were changed remarkably. As the applied current densities increased, the time required for complete Sn consumption became shorter. In addition, Kirkendall voids, which would be detrimental to the mechanical reliability of Cu pillar bumps, were observed in both Cu₃Sn/Cu pillars and Cu₃Sn/Cu under-bump metallization interfaces. Die shear force was measured for Cu pillar samples prepared with various annealing times, and degradation of mechanical strength was observed.     

Evaluation of Quantum Efficiency,Crosstalk, and Surface Recombination in HgCdTe Photon-Trapping Structures

The quantum efficiency (QE) in HgCdTe photovoltaic pixel arrays employing a photon-trapping (PT) structure realized with a periodic array of pillars intended to provide broadband operation was investigated. It was found that the QE depends heavily on the passivation of the pillar surface. This is due to the presence of large fixed positive charge on the surface of pillars passivated with anodic oxide. A three-dimensional numerical simulation model was used to study the effect of the surface charge density and surface recombination velocity on the exterior of the pillars. Then, the QE of this structure was evaluated subject to different surface conditions. It was found that alone the surface charge density or surface recombination is detrimental to the QE but that the QE is recovered when both phenomena are present. Subsequently, the crosstalk was analyzed and the superior performance of the PT structure was demonstrated by evaluating the modulation transfer function.     

Numerical analysis of thermo-mechanical characteristics of solder joint depending on change in solder junction structure of MCP

This study suggests an improved junction structure of solder joints that enable an increased junction area and enhance the reliability of solder joints. A finite element analysis was carried out to compare the thermo-mechanical characteristics of the solder joints before and after the improvement. In the suggested junction structure, holes were created in the existing Cu pillar bump to increase its junction area, compared to that of the existing junction structure, and to raise the solder quantity of the joint. Drawing from the analysis results of the thermo-mechanical characteristics on the existing junction structure and the newly suggested junction structure, it was confirmed that shear stress was reduced in the solder joint with the suggested junction structure, as it was lower by around 5–20 MPa in the suggested junction structure. It was also found that the final value of the equivalent stress during a thermal cycle was lower by around 30 MPa in the suggested junction structure. Moreover, in terms of its equivalent strain value, the suggested junction structure had a slightly higher value of elastic equivalent strain although it carried a lower value of plastic equivalent strain in the high-temperature range. Therefore, it is considered that the suggested junction structure will be advantageous in terms of its long-term reliability of thermo-mechanical characteristics.     

声子晶体对ZnO/41°YX LiNbO3结构Love波器件性能的影响

利用三维有限元法(3D FEM)分析了Ni柱型声子晶体对(110)ZnO/41°YX LiNbO3结构Love波器件声学特性(包括相速度、机电耦合系数和质量灵敏度等)的影响。结果表明，Ni柱的引入对所激发Love波性能的影响较大，Love波1阶模式阈值提前(激发1阶模式Love波所需的导波层厚度减小到0.05)，机电耦合系数提高了约8%。同时，Ni 柱/(110)ZnO/41°YX LiNbO3结构Love波器件的质量灵敏度也得到改善，其Love波0阶和1阶模式的质量灵敏度较无Ni柱结构Love波器件分别提高了3倍和4倍。该研究结果为利用声子晶体结构实现高频声表面波器件的研制及其应用领域的拓宽提供了理论依据。     

Feasibility study on cellular network analysis with patterned cell culture microdevice

In order to realize cellular network analysis on a chip-based system, our group has been developing a patterned cell culture microdevice with pillars in an array for tapping cells into space surrounded by the pillars. The pillar structures has advantages to trap both adhesive and non-adhesive cells and to precisely control positions of cells and distances between cells for understanding effects of various cell patterns on functions of a cellular network such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and network formation. In this paper, HeLa cell cultivation with the patterned cell culture microdevice having a pillar array fabricated by dry film of thick negative photoresist SU-8 on a glass substrate was executed as a feasibility study on a cellular network analysis. The results revealed that the device performance was found to be enough to culture HeLa cells for more than 48 h. In addition, relative extensibility of blocks of multiple cells compared with single cells tapped on the device was observed. Thus, the patterned cell culture microdevice proposed here could be applicable to analysis of cellular functions.