Using the Veeco Wyco Optical Profiler to Study Membrane Deflection
A study of membrane deflection has been conducted using the Veeco Wyco optical profiler. This is the first time the Veeco has been used to obtain quantitative data describing membrane deflection. This type of analysis will be useful for several reasons:
–It will provide a numerical measure of maximum deflection and deflection vs. position for a given pressure:
(Deflection vs. Position is a particularly useful in pressure sensor design):
–**We will be able to calculate Young’s Modulus of pnc-Si.**
–The Wyco can give us a visual representation of the membrane deflecting under a given pressure:
–The Wyco may be useful in characterizing “wrinkles” in pnc-si film (and others):
–We will have a better understanding of how the membrane deflects with varied geometry.
For a few samples, I was able to achieve a burst pressure = 10 psi. At this pressure, the membranes were shown to have a maximum deflection over 10 um!
This week I will be testing several different membrane geometries and comparing the results to the theoretical values predicted by linear elastic deflection models.