Laser-Driven Cyclotron Autoresonance Accelerator - LACARA

Not Available Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are micron to millimeter size devices that replicate the structure and function of meter-scale devices used in day-to-day life for various electro-mechanical functions. The size of MEMS devices will enable integrating these with microelectronics to do a variety of sensing and actuation functions to produce a variety of useful devices that can be mass-produced at low cost. Several studies have projected MEMS market size in tens of billions of dollars by the turn of the century. Although a variety of MEMS devices have been demonstrated, a major limitation is the failure due to wear and stiction (permanent adhesion) of the micro moving parts. Surmet proposes to develop a coating based on its UltraC coating for MEMS devices to prolong the device life and increase their reliability. In Phase I, fabrication of MEMS, deposition of coatings and thorough microstructural and reliability characterization will demonstrate feasibility of the proposed approach. In Phase II, several devices of military and commercial interest will be selected for development. Coating process and properties will be optimized and extensive characterization will be conducted to establish reliability. In Phase III the technology will be transferred to DoD and commercial MEMS producers.