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Problem 9.14

A silicon nitride (LPCVD, stoichiometric) AFM cantilever has a thickness of

0.5 m and the triangular shape (top view) shown below. It is subjected to a
point load F at the tip, pointing into the paper. Assuming small deformations,
find the tip deflection in terms of F, and calculate an effective spring constant
for this beam. For a load which produces a tip deflection of 2 m, calculate
the maximum stress at the support.

a = 50 m

L = 250 m
Problem 9.10

Wafer-scale fusion bonding is commonly used to create complex silicon

structures. However, two wafers can be bonded together only if their
bonding surfaces are about the same shape. If the shapes are too different,
the energy required to deform the wafers exceeds the energy gained by
bringing them into contact, and the wafers will not bond. Because stressed
films deform substrates, film thicknesses are limited on wafers that will be
wafer-bonded.

Consider a PECVD silicon dioxide film that is deposited on a 650 m thick

silicon wafer. The wafer is then annealed at 1100 °C and cooled to room
temperature.
Assume that the oxide is stress-free when it is above the oxide softening
temperature, which we will take to be 950 °C. Also assume biaxial
plane stress in the film, and approximate the substrate as isotropic.

(a) Using constitutive relationships, calculate the thermal stress r in

the film for the case where the film thickness is much less than
the substrate thickness.

Experience shows that the wafer’s radius of curvature must be greater

than about 100 m to ensure that the wafer can be bonded to a second, flat
wafer. In the next two parts, we will determine the maximum
thickness of the oxide film to ensure bondability.
(b) The wafer curvature is determined by moment balance over the
thickness of the wafer. Find an
expression for the net moment per unit width as a function of the
geometry, materials properties, and thermal stress in the film.
(c) Write an expression relating the film thickness to the radius of
curvature. What is the maximum
film thickness to ensure bondability for the case described above?

Problem 14.12 Circuit loading

In this problem we will explore the differences among different op-amp

topologies. Assume we are trying to measure the signal Vs from a linear
sensor and would like to amplify that before we measure it with a
computer-based data acquisition card.
 Thevenin’s theorem states that any linear electrical sensor can be
represented by a voltage source and a series impedance (in this case, a
resistance RS). Your data acquisition board, like all circuits, has some input
resistance denoted by RL.
Sensor R Computer
s
+
-
R2 +
+
Vs - VL RL
-
R1

R1
Computer
Sensor R s R2 -
+ +
+
Vs - VL RL
-

One way to amplify the signal VS is to use a non-inverting amplifier

(a)
(Figure, left). If we use this circuit, what is VL as a function of Vs and
the four resistors, assuming that the op- amp is ideal?
A second way to amplify the signal is to use the inverting
(b) amplifier (Figure, right).
Repeat part (a) for this circuit.
As RS changes, the gain of each circuit may change, leading to
unpredictable behavior, which we’d like to avoid. What is the gain of
each circuit when RS = 0? This is the ideal gain. Determine analytically
(c) the (actual gain)/(ideal gain) for each circuit. Give the constraints on
each circuit such that the actual gain approaches the ideal gain. Which
circuit is less sensitive to changes in RS?
Problem 9.13 Leveraged Bending with Electrostatic Actuation

As we will learn in lecture 9, pull-in limits the useful analog travel of a

voltage-controlled moveable capacitor plate to one third of the initial gap
between the plates. One trick that MEMS designers sometimes use to get
greater controllable travel at the center of the beam is leveraged bending
(illustrated in the left hand figure below). In this scheme, the bottom
capacitor plate is limited to the ends of the beam instead of extending to
the center. Because no voltage difference is applied between the center of
the beam and the substrate, the center can deflect more than one third of the
initial gap before pull-in occurs.

L F F

a b
L
underlying electrodes

Consider a fixed-fixed silicon beam of width w, length L, and height h that is

actuated by leveraged bending. If the electrodes are narrow enough, we may
approximate the load as two point forces applied at distances a and b from
the ends of the beam, as shown in the right hand figure above. (We
would typically design the system so that a = b, but fabrication
nonuniformities may lead to some asymmetry.)

Assuming small deformations, calculate the deflection of the beam at the

center. You are welcome to use any analytic method you like (explicit
integration of the beam equation, use of tabulated beam bending solutions,
etc.)
Problem 5.9 : Circuit representation of a lumped mechanical
system

A mechanically coupled micromechanical resonator can be lumped

modeled as shown in the figure. Derive an equivalent circuit in the
eV convention and find the transfer function x1(s)/F(s).

F k1
k2 k3
m2 m1

x2 b x1
1
 Solutions
Problem 9.14 Bending of an AFM Cantilever

For LPCVD stoichiometric silicon nitride, E = 270 GPa.

From the lecture on structures, for a cantilever with the following configuration
and loading
d 2w
the differential equation of beam dx
bending is:
2
 M
EI x L

z
where M is the internal moment at distance x: M = -F (L-
x)

and I is the moment of inertia of the cross section at the

distance x. For a rectangular cross section:

I = bh3/12

For our case, h = 0.5 m and b is a function of x due to the

triangular shape of the cantilever.
For our geometry:
b a
Lx L a= b
50µm
Therefore: x
3
a  L  x h
L=
I
12L 250µm
 Therefore: ( ) 3

and

Integrating twice: 2

At the tip (x = L), the deflection is:

And the equivalent spring constant is:

For a tip deflection of 2 m:

And the maximum stress at the support is:

Problem 14.12 : Circuit loading

a) Assuming we have an ideal op-amp

Rs
+
- i2
+
R2 +
V
Vs + - 2
VL RL
- i1 + -
R1 V
- 1
 b) Assuming again we have an ideal op-amp
i- = 0  is = iL and V+ = V- = 0

Also V- - VL = iL R1 , Vs - V-= is ( Rs +
R2 ) L s 1 s 2
R1
Therefore V / V = - R / (R + Rs R2
is - iL
R )
+ +
V s +- RL
V-L
The ratio is negative, hence the name "inverting".

c) The gain G is defined as the ratio of the output voltage to the input voltage,
or VL / Vs. For the non-inverting amplifier: Gideal = 1+ R2 / R1 = Gactual for all
values of Rs
Gactual / Gideal = 1

For the inverting amplifier: Gideal = - R1 / R2

Gactual / Gideal = R2 / (R s +R 2)

Thus for the non-inverting amplifier, the ideal and actual gains are always
equal, while for the inverting amplifier, the actual gain approaches the ideal
gain only when the sensor impedance approaches zero (assuming both
amplifiers are ideal). Clearly, the non-inverting amplifier is less sensitive to
changes in Rs than the inverting one.

Problem 9.13 : Leveraged Bending with Electrostatic Actuation

a) The governing equation for the deflection of a doubly clamped beam

under a point load as shown in the figure is,
 EI  F  x  a  ,
4
dx F
d4 a
w L
where  x  a 1 denotes a concentrated load at a. Integrating, we have,

Apply the boundary conditions

w(0)  w( L)  w '(0)  w '(L)  0 ,
we get,

Hence, the center deflection is,

If we next examine the effect of the point load acting at the right hand side of
the beam (acting alone as if the load at “a” had been removed), we get a
similar setup.
 Applying the boundary conditions
w(0)  w( L)  w '(0)  w '(L)  0 ,
we get,

In this case, the center deflection is:

Applying superposition to the beam, we can obtain the center deflection due to
both loads to be,

Problem 5.9 : Circuit representation of a lumped mechanical system

F k
k2 b1 1 k3
m2 m1
x2 x1

In the e  V convention, the flows are the time derivatives of the

displacements xi of the different bodies, and effort is the external force.
Since k1 and b1 share the same displacement, and hence, the same flow,
they are in series. The same holds for k2 and m2 and also for k3 and m1. By
observation, the net flow through b1 is (x˙2  x˙1 ) . Hence, the equivalent
circuit can be represented as shown in Figure.
 m2 1/k2 m1 1/k3

F + 1/k1
–

x˙2 x˙1
b1 s domain

m2s k2/s m1s k3/s

F + k1/s
–
x2s x1s
b1
(1)
Apply KVL for the left loop, we have

Substitute into (1), we have,\