Due to their excellent properties of nanomaterials, such as small size, low density, and high strength, they have an extensive usage in micro-electronics, data storage, micro-electro-mechanical systems and so on. These applications require an accurate evaluation of the mechanical properties of these nanomaterials.

There is a big challenge to apply and measure small forces and displacements with high resolutions. With the development of the MEMS technology, most of the researchers start to develop some MEMS based testing device for nanomaterials. While, since the output and input limitation of the MEMS actuators and sensors, one device can only test very few nanomaterials with similar properties. In addition, the fabrication process and package issue will become very complicated if th...[ Read more ]

Due to their excellent properties of nanomaterials, such as small size, low density, and high strength, they have an extensive usage in micro-electronics, data storage, micro-electro-mechanical systems and so on. These applications require an accurate evaluation of the mechanical properties of these nanomaterials.

There is a big challenge to apply and measure small forces and displacements with high resolutions. With the development of the MEMS technology, most of the researchers start to develop some MEMS based testing device for nanomaterials. While, since the output and input limitation of the MEMS actuators and sensors, one device can only test very few nanomaterials with similar properties. In addition, the fabrication process and package issue will become very complicated if the device includes many components. This research project aims at a micro-fabricated device based on an outer chip actuator. The prototype of the device is the bridge-type compliant mechanism. Four fabrication methods are used with SOI wafer and poly-silicon coated wafer. Nine types of devices with different ranges were fabricated and the software is developed for the tensile testing experiments application. With the help of micro-manipulator to position and fix the nanowire on the device, the in-situ SEM experiments can be made to achieve the silicon nanowire and polymer fiber tensile testing.