Magnetic Self-Assembly with Unique Rotational Alignment
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Abstract
The majority of flexible electronics applications require integration of thin chips on low-cost polymer substrates, with a high volume manufacturing fashion. However, handling thin parts (below< 100?m) with contact-based micro-assembly techniques is challenging due to the strong adhesion forces at micro-scale. This situation slows down the traditional assembly methods, i.e. pick-and-place machines: In contact based placement, the chip is squeezed between the pick-and-place tool and the substrate and the force applied to release the chip, which should compensate the strong adhesion, might damage the delicate chip. This thesis focuses on developing a magnetic self-assembly method for high precision placement of parts with micro-scale thicknesses, i.e. ultra-thin chips (UTCs), without a direct mechanical contact. The chips are manipulated by the magnetic interactions between an externally applied magnetic field and nickel contact pads present on the chips. The method enables aligning the chips into a unique rotation by using shape matching between the asymmetric arrangement of nickel features on the chip and the gradient in the applied field.