The long-term technical goal of this proposal is to enable high-performance, fully-integrated, micromagnetic transducers for microscale sensors, actuators, and power converters. Magnetic and electrodynamic transducers can offer significant performance advantages (efficiency, reliability) over other electromechanical transduction approaches, especially for applications that demand high stroke and/or high power density. Currently however, certain design and fabrication issues prevent the practical implementation of microscale transducers that rely on permanent magnets. Most previously demonstrated micromagnetic devices use a hybrid fabrication approach, where conventionally-manufactured, mm-scale magnets are assembled into a micromachined structure. This approach constrains the device design, limits the minimum device size, and eliminates the benefits of wafer-scale microfabrication. These fabrication-related effects combine to hamper the performance and appeal of micromagnetic transducers. This exploratory proposal focuses on microfabrication process development efforts to overcome these fabrication and integration challenges. The immediate goal is to advance the state-of-the-art in microfabrication to permit the integration of high-performance permanent magnet materials within more complex micromachined structures. Efforts will focus on systematic and practical experiments to develop robust microfabrication procedures for deposition, process integration, and patterned-magnetization of high-performance permanent magnet films (electroplated magnetic alloy films and composite polymer/magnetic particle films) in silicon-based microstructures. Solving these fabrication-related issues is a necessary and critical step for the long-term development of fully-integrated, fully-microfabricated micromagnetic sensors and actuators. Intellectual Merit. This research will develop new microfabrication and micro-magnetization methods for permanent magnet thick-films. Development of robust integration methods for high-performance permanent magnet films will trigger an explosion of renewed interest in microscale magnetic transducers. With favorable physical scaling laws and decades of proven performance, miniaturized magnetic devices have only been limited by practical microfabrication challenges, specifically with permanent magnet films. This research will result in a roadmap for integration of permanent magnet films for MEMS. This will form the foundation and springboard for the PI's long-term development of magnetic microsystems such as microscale speakers, valves, pumps, motors, energy harvesters, etc. Broader Impact. The research program will provide an educational opportunity to train graduate and undergraduate engineers with practical engineering design and development principles. The PI plans to maximize the participation of underrepresented groups by leveraging his ongoing relationships with established programs at UF such as the University Scholars program and the NSF-sponsored South East Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (SEAGEP) program. Technical results will be disseminated through conference presentations, archival publications, and workshops. With these results, collaborations will be sought with US and European industrial partners to develop and commercialize new micromagnetic products for biomedical, aerospace, and consumer electronic applications.
