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Stencil mask methodology for the parallelized production of microscale mechanical test samples
Paul A Shade1, Sang-Lan Kim, Robert Wheeler
1Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, AFRL∕RXLM, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, USA.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|June 7, 2012
Summary
A novel method fabricates micro-tensile test samples efficiently using microelectronic processes and stencil masks. This approach reduces reliance on focused ion beam milling for creating small, high-aspect-ratio metallic samples.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Micromechanical testing requires precisely fabricated samples.
- Conventional methods like focused ion beam (FIB) milling are slow and costly for parallel production.
- Existing techniques struggle with producing high-aspect-ratio samples efficiently.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a parallelizable methodology for producing micromechanical test samples.
- To minimize dependence on focused ion beam (FIB) fabrication.
- To enable the creation of samples with gage dimensions in the 20–200 μm range.
Main Methods:
- Utilized photolithography and deep-reactive ion etching to create silicon stencil masks.
- Developed a stencil mask pattern of linear tensile samples attached to a substrate.
- Employed broad ion beam milling for co-sputtering the stencil mask and substrate.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated an array of metallic micro-tensile samples from a polycrystalline Ni foil.
- Demonstrated the transfer of a stencil mask pattern into a substrate via co-sputtering.
- Achieved parallel production of samples with dimensions suitable for micromechanical testing.
Conclusions:
- The reported methodology offers an efficient, parallelizable alternative for producing micromechanical test samples.
- This technique leverages standard microelectronic processes, reducing costs and fabrication time.
- The method is suitable for creating high-aspect-ratio metallic micro-samples from bulk materials.
