ME6260/EECE7244

1
Contact Mechanics
ME6260/EECE7244
2
SEM Image of Early Northeastern
University MEMS Microswitch

Asperity
ME6260/EECE7244
3
SEM of Current NU Microswitch
Asperities
ME6260/EECE7244
4
Two Scales of the Contact
Nominal Surface
Contact Bump (larger, micro-scale)


Asperities (smaller, nano-scale)
ME6260/EECE7244
5
Basics of Hertz Contact
a r a r p r p < = , ) / ( 1 ) (
2
0
The pressure distribution:


produces a parabolic depression
on the surface of an elastic body.





Resultant Force
0
2
0
3
2
2 ) ( p a rdr r p P
a
t t = =
}
Pressure Profile
p(r)
r
a
p
0


Depth at center

Curvature in contact region


a p
E
0
2
2
) 1 ( t v
o

=
Ea
p
R 2
) 1 ( 1
0
2
t v
=
ME6260/EECE7244
6
Basics of Hertz Contact
Elasticity problem of a very large initially flat body
indented by a rigid sphere.

P
r
z
a

R
rigid
We have an elastic half-space with a spherical
depression. But:
R
r
2 2
r R R
R r R r R r R R r w 2 / ) / 1 1 ( ) ( ) (
2 2 2 2 2
~ = = o o o
) ( R r <<
ME6260/EECE7244
7
Basics of Hertz Contact
So the pressure distribution given by:


gives a spherical depression and hence is the pressure
for Hertz contact, i.e. for the indentation of a flat elastic
body by a rigid sphere with


But wait thats not all !

Same pressure on a small circular region of a locally
spherical body will produce same change in curvature.

a r a r p r p < = , ) / ( 1 ) (
2
0
a p
E
0
2
2
) 1 ( t v
o

=
Ea
p
R 2
) 1 ( 1
0
2
t v
=
ME6260/EECE7244
8
Basics of Hertz Contact
P
ME6260/EECE7244
9
P
Hertz Contact
Hertz Contact (1882)
2a
R
1

R
2

o
E
1
,v
1
E
2
,v
2
Interference
3 / 2
2 / 1 *
4
3
|
.
|

\
|
=
R E
P
o
3 / 1
*
4
3
|
.
|

\
|
=
E
PR
a Contact Radius
2 1
1 1 1
R R R
+ =
Effective Radius
of Curvature
Effective
Youngs modulus
2
2
2
1
2
1
*
1 1 1
E E E
v v
+

=
ME6260/EECE7244
10
Assumptions of Hertz
Contacting bodies are locally spherical
Contact radius << dimensions of the body
Linear elastic and isotropic material properties
Neglect friction
Neglect adhesion
Hertz developed this theory as a graduate student during
his 1881 Christmas vacation
What will you do during your Christmas vacation ?????
ME6260/EECE7244
11
Onset of Yielding
Yielding initiates below the surface when o
VM
= o
Y
which
for Poissons ratio of 0.3 occurs when the average contact
pressure is 1.07*o
Y.

Elasto-Plastic
(contained plastic flow)
With continued loading the plastic zone grows and reaches
the surface
Eventually the pressure distribution is uniform, i.e. p=P/A=H
(hardness) and the contact is called fully plastic (H ~ 2.8o
Y
).
Fully Plastic
(uncontained plastic flow)
ME6260/EECE7244
12
Round Bump Fabrication
Critical issues for
profile transfer:
Process
Pressure
Biased Power
Gas Ratio
Photo Resist Before Reflow Photo Resist After Reflow
The shape of the photo
resist is transferred to the
silicon by using SF
6
/O
2
/Ar
ICP silicon etching
process.
Shipley 1818
O
2
:SF
6
:Ar=20:10:25 O
2
:SF
6
:Ar=15:10:25
Silicon Bump Silicon Bump
Shipley 1818
ME6260/EECE7244
13
Fully Plastic Single Asperity Contacts
(Hardness Indentation)
Contact pressure is uniform and equal to
the hardness (H)
Area varies linearly with force A=P/H
Area is linear in the interference o = a
2
/2R
ME6260/EECE7244
14
Nanoindenters
Hysitron Triboindenter
Hysitron Ubi
ME6260/EECE7244
15
Nanoindentation Test
Force vs. displacement
Indent
ME6260/EECE7244
16
Depth-Dependent Hardness
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1/h (1/m)
(
H
/
H
0
)
2
Depth Dependence of Hardness of Cu
h
h
H
H
*
1
0
+ =
H
0
=0.58 GPa

h*=1.60m
Data from Nix & Gao, JMPS, Vol. 46, pp. 411-425, 1998.
ME6260/EECE7244
17
Surface Topography

=
=
N
i
S S
z z
N
i
S
1
2 2
) (
1
o
Standard Deviation of Surface Roughness


Standard Deviation of Asperity Summits


Scaling Issues 2D, Multiscale, Fractals
Mean of Surface
Mean of Asperity Summits
}
=
L
dx m z
L
0
2 2
) (
1
o
ME6260/EECE7244
18
Contact of Surfaces
d
Reference Plane
Mean of Asperity
Summits
Typical Contact
Flat and Rigid Surface
ME6260/EECE7244
19
Typical Contact
Original shape
2a
o
P
R
Contact area
ME6260/EECE7244
20
Multi-Asperity Models
(Greenwood and Williamson, 1966, Proceedings of the Royal Society
of London, A295, pp. 300-319.)
Assumptions
All asperities are spherical and have the same
summit curvature.
The asperities have a statistical distribution of
heights (Gaussian).
Deformation is linear elastic and isotropic.
Asperities are uncoupled from each other.
Ignore bulk deformation.
ME6260/EECE7244
21
Greenwood and Williamson
ME6260/EECE7244
22
Greenwood & Williamson Model
For a Gaussian distribution of asperity heights the
contact area is almost linear in the normal force.
Elastic deformation is consistent with Coulomb friction
i.e. A ~ P, F ~ A, hence F ~ P, i.e. F = N
Many modifications have been made to the GW theory to
include more effects many are not important.
Especially important is plastic deformation and adhesion.
ME6260/EECE7244
23
Contacts With Adhesion
(van der Waals Forces)
Surface forces important in MEMS due to scaling
Surface forces ~L
2
or L; weight as L
3

Surface Forces/Weight ~ 1/L or 1/L
2
Consider going from cm to m
MEMS Switches can stick shut
Friction can cause moving parts to stick, i.e. stiction
Dry adhesion only at this point; meniscus forces later

ME6260/EECE7244
24
Forces of Adhesion
Important in MEMS Due to Scaling
Characterized by the Surface Energy () and
the Work of Adhesion (A)
For identical materials

Also characterized by an inter-atomic potential
12 2 1
+ = A
2 = A
ME6260/EECE7244
25
Adhesion Theories
Z
0 1 2 3
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
Z/Z
0
o

/
o
T
H

Some inter-atomic
potential, e.g.
Lennard-Jones
Z
0
(A simple point-of-view)
For ultra-clean metals, the potential is more sharply peaked.
ME6260/EECE7244
26
Two Rigid Spheres:
Bradley Model
P
P
R
2
R
1
2 1
1 1 1
R R R
+ =
R P
Off Pull
tA =

2
Bradley, R.S., 1932, Philosophical Magazine,
13, pp. 853-862.
ME6260/EECE7244
27
JKR Model
Johnson, K.L., Kendall, K., and Roberts, A.D., 1971, Surface Energy and the Contact
of Elastic Solids, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, A324, pp. 301-313.
Includes the effect of elastic deformation.
Treats the effect of adhesion as surface energy only.
Tensile (adhesive) stresses only in the contact area.
Neglects adhesive stresses in the separation zone.
P
a
a
P
1
ME6260/EECE7244
28
Derivation of JKR Model
Total Energy E
T

Stored Elastic
Energy
Mechanical Potential
Energy in the Applied Load
Surface
Energy
Equilibrium when
0 =
da
dE
T
* 2
3
3
4
, ) 3 ( 6 3 E K R RP R P
R
K a
= A + A + A + = t t t
K
a
R
a
3
8
2
t
o
A
=
R P
Off Pull
tA =

5 . 1
ME6260/EECE7244
29
DMT Model
DMT model
Tensile stresses exist outside
the contact area.
Stress profile remains Hertzian
inside the contact area.

p(r)
a r
Derjaguin, B.V., Muller, V.M., Toporov, Y.P., 1975, J. Coll. Interf. Sci., 53, pp. 314-326.
Muller, V.M., Derjaguin, B.V., Toporov, Y.P., 1983, Coll. and Surf., 7, pp. 251-259.
, 2
3
R P
R
K a
tA + =
R
a
2
= o
Applied Force, Contact Radius & Vertical Approach
R P
Off Pull
tA =

2
ME6260/EECE7244
30
Tabor Parameter:
JKR-DMT Transition
1 <<
3 / 1
3
0
2 *
2
|
|
.
|

\
|
A
=
Z E
R

DMT theory applies

(stiff solids, small radius of curvature, weak energy of adhesion)
1 >>
JKR theory applies
(compliant solids, large radius of curvature, large adhesion energy)
R P
Off Pull
tA =

2
R P
Off Pull
tA =

5 . 1
Intermediate values of
ME6260/EECE7244
31
Adhesion Map
K.L. Johnson and J.A. Greenwood, J. of Colloid Interface Sci., 192, pp. 326-333, 1997
ME6260/EECE7244
32
Multi-Asperity Models
With Adhesion
Replace Hertz Contacts of GW Model with JKR Adhesive
Contacts: Fuller, K.N.G., and Tabor, D., 1975, Proc.
Royal Society of London, A345, pp. 327-342.
Replace Hertz Contacts of GW Model with DMT Adhesive
Contacts: Maugis, D., 1996, J. Adhesion Science and
Technology, 10, pp. 161-175.
Replace Hertz Contacts of GW Model with Maugis
Adhesive Contacts: Morrow, C., Lovell, M., and Ning, X.,
2003, J. of Physics D: Applied Physics, 36, pp. 534-540.
ME6260/EECE7244
33
Surface Tension
ME6260/EECE7244
34
http://www.unitconversion.org/unit_converter/surface-tension-ex.html
ME6260/EECE7244
35
I = 0.072 N/m for water at room temperature
ME6260/EECE7244
36
ME6260/EECE7244
37
I
p A
Ap
ME6260/EECE7244
38
ME6260/EECE7244
39
ME6260/EECE7244
40
ME6260/EECE7244
41