In-Plane Displacement Detection With Picometer Accuracy on a Conventional Microscope

In this paper, we present a new method for detecting in-plane displacements in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) with an unprecedented sub-ångström accuracy. We use a curve-fitting method that is commonly employed in spectroscopy to find peak positions in a spectrum. We fit a function to the intensity profile of the image of a silicon beam...

Experimental Investigation of Adhesion and Friction Phenomena of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD) and Aluminum Oxide in MEMS

This thesis aims to provide the latest progresses on the experimental investigation of friction and adhesion phenomena, occurring at the nanoscale in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). I have studied and characterized the interaction between MEMS sidewalls in contact and sliding one onto another. Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) and...