Mechanical Characterization of Compact Rolled-up Microtubes Using In Situ Scanning Electron Microscopy Nanoindentation and Finite Element Analysis

Self-assembled Swiss-roll microstructures (SRMs) are widely explored to build up microelectronic devices such as capacitors, transistors, or inductors as well as sensors and lab-in-a-tube systems. These devices often need to be transferred to a special position on a microchip or printed circuit board for the final application. Such a device transfer is typically conducted by a pick-and-place process exerting enormous mechanical loads onto the 3D components that may cause catastrophic failure of the device. Herein, the mechanical deformation behavior of SRMs using experiments and simulations is investigated. SRMs using in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with nanoindentation are characterized. This allows us to mimic and characterize mechanical loads as they occur in a pick-and-place process. The deformation response of SRMs depends on three geometrical factors, i.e., the number of windings, compactness of consecutive windings, and inner diameter of the microtube. Nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) showing good agreement with experiments is performed. It is believed that the insights into the mechanical loading of 3D self-assembled architectures will lead to novel techniques suitable for a new generation of pick-and-place machines operating at the microscale.

Automated summary

The mechanical deformation behavior of self-assembled Swiss-roll microstructures (SRMs) was investigated using experiments and simulations, with a focus on factors such as the number of windings, compactness of consecutive windings, and inner diameter of the microtube. Nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) showed good agreement with experimental results, providing insights that may lead to new techniques for pick-and-place machines operating at the microscale.