MEMS&3D-LAB

Study, numerical modelling, design, chemo-physical characterization, surface characterization, mechanical characterization, electronics, reliability of micro and nano electro mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS); design and fabrication of prototypes and proofs of concepts for new applications.

MEMS applications are now in fast development and are related to consumer market, biomedical engineering, industrial engineering, structural monitoring, wearable electronics, miniaturized robotics.

The Researchers promoting this laboratory work since years in the design, modelling and characterization and use of microsystems and of 3D manufacturing.

The laboratory is in strict synergy with the new project Polifab by Politecnico di Milano. MEMS&3D lab is concerned with research and development before and after the production with micro and nano fabrication technologies, which are the main task of Polifab. MEMS&3D lab is also a first example of the use of 3D manufacturing (3D printing also low cost) for the fabrication and customization of working proof of concepts and prototypes ad hoc designed and fabricated.

The covered know how allows to increase the ability of fabricating new micro and nano devices in fields like small and large-scale monitoring, object and person recognition, the new frontier of the Internet of Things, new developments related to micro-robotics in particular flexible one.

Leonardo Campus:

• Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICA), building 5
• Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), building 24
• Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta" (DCMC), building 6; via Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milan

Bovisa Campus:

• Department of Mechanical Engineering (DMEC), Bovisa South Campus – via La Masa 1, 20156 Milan

• Condor Sigma Lite XYZTEC shear and pull test machine. Shear tests up to 10 Kgf for glued electronic devices and tensile-compressive tests up to 100 gf. Possibility to improve the machine with additional load cells with rotating system. The machine is with a 40x optical microscope, PC and dedicated software. Acquired by DICA
• Experimental station for inertial MEMS and for navigation microsystems. Possibility to generate rotations, magnetic fields, vibrations, accelerations at high frequency (Belotti e Bruell&Kjaer). The experimental set up is mounted on an isolated anti-vibration table and is supplemented with a reference inertial unit and measurement instrumentation which covers a wide range of frequencies up to 50 MHz (included a Zurich Instrument Lock-in Amplifier). Acquisitions in progress by DEIB
• MotionBLITZ EoSens® mini2 camera with high acquisition velocity. In full resolution mode (3 Megapixel) the camera can obtain up to 523 images per second. With partial acquisition it is possible to obtain up to 200000 images per second. Combining the camera with microscopes available at the lab, the camera can be used for the study of MEMS high frequency dynamic responses. To be acquired by DMEC
• 3D printing machine with mean resolution (DWS System) for stereolitography – axis z resolution: 10-100 micron, laser spot dimensions: 22 micron, or 3D bio-scaffolder. Acquired by DCMC
• High precision ink-jet functional fluid printer. Among possible fluids to be used: suspensions of metallic nano-particles and organic materials. Possibility to print on various surfaces as plastic, metals, silicon, paper. The system includes the Dimatix DMP-2800 printer, the DMC-11610 cartridge and the software. To be acquired by DCMC
• Vibrating system Tiravib TV 51120,  vibrator with permanent magnets, air-cooled, complete with support to position the direction of excitation.

DICA - Facilities for static and dynamic tests on MEMS closed and on open wafer:

• Probe system with microscope unit. SUSS PM5. SUSS Microtec Test System GmbH
• Digital capacimeter. Agilent E4980A Precision LCR Meter. Agilent Technologies Inc
• Oscilloscope. Agilent InfiniiVision 2000 X- series. Agilent Technologies Inc
• Low noise current amplifier. SR570. Stanford Research Systems, Inc
• Arbitrary waveform generator. Agilent 33522A. Agilent Technologies Inc
• System DC Power Supply. Agilent 6614C. Agilent Technologies Inc

DEIB - Facilities for static and dynamic tests on MEMS closed and on open wafer; system for the control and measurement of mechanical stiffness reduction to be used in fatigue tests; possibility to control the pressure; possibility to perform tests on magnetometers with a magnetic field generator:

• Rate Table. AC1120S v1.0. ACUTRONIC Switzerland Ltd
• Lock-in Amplifier. SR830 DSP. Stanford Research Systems, Inc
• Metallographic Optical Microscope. Axiotron. Carl Zeiss Inc
• Probe system with microscope unit. SUSS PM5. SUSS Microtec Test System GmbH
• Semiconductor Device Analyzer. Agilent B1500A. Agilent Technologies Inc
• Ultra High Vacuum Pump. Pfeiffer TSH 071 E. Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH
• Micro Magnetics, Inc. 3- axis Helmholtz coil. Magnetic Field Controller (up to 5 mT, 6 mT and 7 mT on the X, Y and Z axis) with earth field compensation unit

DCMC - Facilities for micro and nano scale characterization:

• XRF – X-ray Fluorescence. Fischerscope® X-Ray XAN
• Microindentation. FISCHERSCOPE® H100- HCU
• Scanning Probe Microscopy. SOLVER PRO-M
• Dip Pen Nanolithography System - NanoInk
• 5 x Desktop 3D Printers Fusion Deposition Modeling
• Plasma Reactor – Kenosistec 20X30
• UV photopolymerization equipment

DMEC - Facilities for dynamic tests and for the analysis of movements in open MEMS:

• 1x Electrodynamic shaker DM/PD.005 Unholtz Dickie
• 20 Laser distance sensors - M5L/10, M5L/20, M5L/200, M5L/400, M7L/20 - MEL Mikroelektronik GmbH
• 5 x Servoaccelerometer Q-Flex QA-700 Honeywell
• 6 x Seismic, High Sensitivity, Piezoaccelerometer 393B12 - PCB Piezotronics
• 12 x Monoaxial Piezoaccelerometer 4508-01 Brüel & Kjaer
• 6 x Triaxial Piezoaccelerometer 356A02 PCB Piezotronics
• General purpose Modal Analysis impact hammer 086C03 PCB Piezotronics
• Modally Tuned® Impulse Hammer w/force sensor and tips 086D05 PCB Piezotronics
• LaserDoppler VH300 Ometron
• Linear Motor and Control Unit 1FN1 186 – 5AC71 – 0AA0 (motor) - Sinumerik 840 D – Simodrive 611 D (control) - Siemens
• Laser Doppler 2D scanning vibrometer Polytec PSV400+OFV5000 VD04 BPS
• Thermo-vacuum chamber - Varian Vacuum rotary pump

Experimental facilities are available to Politecnico di Milano research groups who need them for their research activities.

The internal costs for experimental facilities given to Politecnico di Milano researchers must be examined on the basis of the kind of research and requested use.

Prof. Bernasconi Roberto (DCMC)

• Raffaella Suriano (DCMC)
• Valentina Zega (DICA)
• Giacomo Langfelder (DEIB)
• Roberto Bernasconi (DCMC)
• Alfredo Cigada (DMEC)