Open Access

ARTICLE

On the Contact Characteristics between Droplet and Microchip/Binding Site for Self-Alignment

Wen-Hwa Chen^1,2, Tsung-Yu Huang¹

1 Dep. of Power Mech. Engng., National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C.
2 National Applied Research Laboratories, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Computers, Materials & Continua 2010, 20(1), 63-84. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmc.2010.020.063

Abstract

The contact characteristics between a droplet and a microchip/binding site strongly affect the accuracy of self-alignment in the self-assembly of micro-electronic-mechanical systems. This study is mainly to implement the Surface Evolver Program, which is commonly adopted for studying surface shaped by surface tension and other energies, to investigate comprehensively the contact characteristics between the small droplet and the microchip/binding site. The details of changes in the contact line and the contact area when the microchip is subjected to translation, compression, yawing and rolling are drawn. The three-dimensional deformation of the droplet between the microchip and the binding site is also presented. The restoring force and restoring torque that are induced on the microchip under those motions are calculated accurately. The critical value that the microchip can return to its aligned position under respective motion is therefore predicted. Lastly, under the effects of the droplet surface tension and the contact angle for the droplet on the microchip/binding site, the regions of overflow and no wet area on different microchip shapes are demonstrated. The computed results agree excellently with those by experiments. Based on the simulation techniques developed, the self-alignment of the microchip with the binding site can be estimated accurately.

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