Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item Functionalized Thin-Film Shape Memory Alloys for Novel MEMS Applications(2023) Curtis , Sabrina M.; Takeuchi, Ichiro; Quandt, Eckhard; Material Science and Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy (SMA) films are already implemented into microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices such as sensors, actuators, and implantable medical devices. In this thesis, I used DC magnetron sputter deposition to study the influence of film composition, microstructure, and annealing conditions on the stability of the phase transformation for the NiTi-based SMA thin films TiNiCu, TiNiCuCo, and TiNiHf. SMAs are a type of smart material that can undergo stress or temperature-induced solid-to-solid phase transformation between two different crystalline phases. In NiTi-based SMAs, the two phases are known as martensite with a monoclinic crystalline structure and austenite with a cubic crystal structure. The temperature-induced phase transformations can be used to switch between the martensite and austenite phases, and thus switch between two sets of material properties in the SMA. For example, in NiTi-based SMAs the Young’s modulus, electrical resistivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion of the austenite phase are typically 2X larger than that of the martensite phase. The transformation temperatures, recovery strains, enthalpy of transformation, and fatigue properties of NiTi SMAs can be tuned by alloying NiTi with other elements like copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), and hafnium (Hf). For example, certain compositions of sputtered TiNiCu and TiNiCuCo are known to be ultra-low fatigue SMAs, able to reversibly undergo the phase transformation for 10+ million cycles without degradation in the mechanical or thermal properties. The primary focus of this thesis was the integration of these sputtered NiTi-based SMA thin-films into the following four novel MEMS devices: 1) TiNiCu for magneoelectric sensors, 2) TiNiHf for bistable actuators, 3) TiNiCuCo for stretchable electronics and 4) thin-film SMA stretchable auxetic structures for wearable and implantable medical devices. The shape memory effect was observed in TiNiCu and TiNiHf films when the film thickness and lateral dimensions are downscaled to micro and nano dimensions. In the research publication “Integration of AlN piezoelectric thin films on ultralow fatigue TiNiCu shape memory alloys.”, I showed the reproducibility of the thermal-induced phase transformation of Ti50Ni35Cu15 is attractive for integration into MEMS devices that require a high cycle lifetime. I showed how the SMA’s phase transformation can be used to tune the resonant of bending cantilever-type sensors like magnetoelectric sensors. I also demonstrated excellent thin-film piezoelectric and shape memory alloy properties for 2 μm AlN/ 5 μm TiNiCu films composites deposited onto silicon substrates. The large work densities and high strength-to-weight ratio offered by SMAs are attractive for the development of micro and nano actuators. The thermal induced phase transformation between martensite and austenite is also used to develop bi-directional micro-actuators with TiNiHf/Si and TiNiHf/SiO2/Si composites. In another research publication, “TiNiHf/SiO2/Si shape memory film composites for bi-directional micro actuation”, I demonstrated the influence of film thickness and substrate on the phase transformation properties of TiNiHf thin-films. Ti40.4Ni48Hf11.6 films with thicknesses as low as 220 nm on SiO2/Si substrates can undergo the phase transformation with high transformation temperatures (As > 100 °C) and a wide thermal hysteresis (ΔT > 50 °C). In this publication, we explain how the wide hysteresis and high transformation temperature obtained in TiNiHf films can be used to develop micro and nano-scale bistable actuators based on PMMA/TiNiHf/Si composites. Even though thin-film NiTi-based SMAs are known to reversibly recover superelastic strains of up to 8%, surprisingly, they have not yet been exploited in the growing field of stretchable electronics. In the technical article “Thin-Film Superelastic Alloys for Stretchable Electronics” I demonstrate the first experimental and numerical studies of freestanding thin-film superelastic TiNiCuCo structured into a serpentine geometry for use as stretchable electrical interconnects. Fabricated electropolished serpentine structures were demonstrated to have low fatigue after cycling external strains between 30% - 50% for 100,000 cycles. The electrical resistivity of the austenite phase of a Ti53.3Ni30.9Cu12.9Co2.9 thin-film at room temperature was measured to be 5.43 × 10-7 Ω m, which is larger than reported measurements for copper thin-films (1.87 × 10-8 Ω m). Expanding upon this work, in the conference proceedings paper “Auxetic Superelastic TiNiCuCo Sputtered Thin-Films for Stretchable Electronics”, I present a new platform for functionalized wearable electronics and implantable medical devices based on superelastic thin-film SMA substrates structured into novel stretchable auxetic geometries. Since thin-film SMAs are conductive, the structured substrate itself could serve as the current collector for such stretchable and flexible devices, or a more conductive electrode can be deposited on top of the stretchable auxetic SMA substrate. Overall, the results discussed in this doctoral thesis look to the future of harnessing the functional properties of thin-film sputtered SMAs for novel uses in next-generation MEMS devices.Item MICROFABRICATION AND MODELLING OF DIELECTRIC ELASTOMER ACTUATORS(2012) Balakrisnan, Bavani; Smela, Elisabeth; Mechanical Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are a class of polymeric actuators that have gained prominence over the last decade. A DEA is comprised of a polymer sandwiched between two compliant electrodes. When voltage is applied between the two electrodes, electrostatic attraction between the electrodes compresses the elastomer in that direction and stretches it in the other two directions. DEAs produce dimensional changes (strains) up to 300% upon application of an electric field. DEAs have tremendous potential for applications requiring large displacements and have been demonstrated for many macro-scale (centimeter and larger) applications such as robots, loudspeakers, and motors. There are potentially many useful applications for micro-scale DEAs (less than millimeter-sized devices with micron-sized actuators) in the fields of micro-robotics, micro-optics, and micro-fluidics. However, miniaturization of DEAs is challenging because many of the materials and DEA fabrication methods used on the macro-scale cannot be adapted for micro-scale fabrication of DEAs. This thesis explores the feasibility of developing fabrication strategies for micro-scale DEAs by adapting micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In addition, fabrication protocols for micro-scale DEAs have been developed. The other aspect of this thesis is the design of bending DEAs. Benders are useful because for a given actuation strain, greater deflection can be observed by controlling the stiffnesses and thicknesses of different layers. A general guideline for designing bending DEA configurations such as unimorph, bimorph, and multilayer stacks was developed using a multilayer analytical model. The design optimization is based on the effect of thickness and stiffness of different layers on curvature, blocked force, and work. Complaint electrodes and their design are important for DEAs to enable the elastomer to stretch unrestricted. Thus, design criteria for the fabrication of crenellated electrodes and crenellated elastomers with electrodes were investigated. This guideline enabled design of structures with appropriate axial or bending stiffnesses based on the amplitude, angle, length, and thickness. Simple analytical equations for axial and bending stiffness for crenellated electrodes with different shapes were derived. In addition, numerical simulations of crenellated elastomer with stiff electrode were performedItem Development of Magnetic Shape Memory Alloy Actuators for a Swashplateless Helicopter Rotor(2006-04-28) Couch, Ronald Newton; Chopra, Inderjit; Aerospace Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Actuator concepts utilizing NiMnGa, ferromagnetic shape memory alloy are investigated for potential use on a smart rotor for trailing edge flap actuation. With their high energy density, large dynamic stroke, and wide operating bandwidth, ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMA) like NiMnGa, seem like attractive candidates for smart rotor actuators, potentially able to fulfill the requirements for both primary rotor control and vibration suppression. However, because of the recent discovery of the material, current experimental data and analytical tools are limited. To rectify these shortcomings, an extensive set of detailed experiments were conducted on samples of NiMnGa to characterize the response of the alloy for a wide variety of mechanical and magnetic loading conditions. Measurements of the material performance parameters such as power density, damping properties, magneto-mechanical coupling, and transduction efficiency were included. Once characterized, the experimental data were used to develop a series of analytical tools to predict the behavior of the material. A model, developed in parallel to thermal shape memory alloy models is proposed to predict the quasi-static stress-strain behavior. A simple, low frequency, parameter based model was also developed to predict the alloy's dynamic strain response. A method for developing conceptual actuators utilizing NiMnGa as the actuation element was proposed. This approach incorporates experimental data into a process that down-selects a series of possible actuator configurations to obtain a single configuration optimized for volumetric and weight considerations. The proposed actuator was designed to deliver 2 mm of stroke and 60 N of force at an actuation frequency of 50 Hz. However, to generate the 1.0 T magnetic field, the actuator mass was determined to be 2.8 kg and required a minimum of 320 Watts of power for operation. The mass of the NiMnGa element was only 18.3 g. It was concluded that although the NiMnGa alloy was capable of meeting the trailing edge flap actuation requirements, the material is not suitable in its present form for this application because of weight and power consumption issues. The magnetic field requirements must be reduced to improve the utility of the material for rotorcraft applications.