*** 9601720 Warrington This Academic Research Infrastructure award provides funding to purchase an injection molding machine, electroplating stations, a scanning Auger spectroscope, and an optical interferometric microscope. The injection molding machine and electroplating stations will enable the mass fabrication of microparts. The injection molding machine will replicate microparts in plastics, and the electroplating stations will allow for micro part production in a variety of metals. The scanning Auger spectroscope and optical interferometric microscope will be used to analyze and test the micro parts themselves and the masks and molds that are used to make them. The scanning Auger spectroscope will be used to determine surface/interfacial chemical composition, which is critical in the fabrication of masks, molds, and micro parts. The optical interferometric microscope will be used to measure surface roughness and geometry. This equipment will augment existing fabrication equipment at the Institute for Micromanufacturing and in the College of Engineering and Science at Louisiana Tech University. The above equipment will enable and enhance research on the production and application of masks and molds used in micropart fabrication and will also enable the direct fabrication of microparts from these molds in a variety of materials. Nine projects in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies will take advantage of the equipment. In particular, the injection molding machine will be used to model and experimentally verify the micromolding process and will serve to rapidly fabricate microsystem packaging concepts. The machine will also be used to develop methods for mass replication of microstructures and systems using polymer molds. The electroplating stations will be used to create microstructures in nickel, gold and other materials and for rapid, economical fabrication of micromilling tools. The scanning Auger spectrometer is an instrument for identifying surface and int erfacial contamination, which detracts from the quality of plating processes, photo resist, wafer adhesion, and multi-level structure fabrication. This instrument will have use across the university. The optical interferometric microscope will be used to quantify vertical and sloped surfaces up to 5 mm in height. The proposed equipment will allow for the development of process technology unique in the world, and for the measurement, analysis, and replication of micro- to macro-scale devices from masks and molds with three-dimensional surface features. ***
