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Design of a Microscale Optomechanical Load Cell for Micro-/Nanostructured Materials Testing Applications

  • Research Article-Physics
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Abstract

The conceptual design of a microfabricated load cell for mechanical testing of materials is presented that utilizes radiation pressure for the application of load. Using a laser as the source of radiation pressure cyclic and quasi-static materials testing is possible in force, spatial and temporal ranges not previously accessible. The overall design consists of 3 subsystems working in unison for the testing of micro-/nanostructured materials in tension, compression, and bending. One subsystem applies radiation pressure (load); a second subsystem measures displacement optically; and the third subsystem is the optomechanical load cell (OMLC) itself with which the other two subsystems interact. The OMLC translates in one dimension and contains a thermal dissipation structure. A detailed design of the OMLC is presented that takes into consideration optical, mechanical, and thermal considerations when a 1 W laser at 532 nm is utilized. With analytical and computational models, force, displacement, and temporal resolutions are demonstrated. Specifically, it is shown that the design is capable of forces from fN to mN, with 10 pm of displacement resolution and cyclic loads of up to 1 MHz.

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Abbreviations

k :

Spring constant (N/m)

F :

Force (N)

x :

Displacement, position (m)

P :

Pressure (Pa)

I :

Irradiance (W/m2)

c :

Speed of light (m/s)

R o :

Reflectance (unitless)

A o :

Absorptivity (unitless)

T o :

Transmissivity (unitless)

\(\overrightarrow{k}\) :

Wave vector (m−1)

\(\overrightarrow{E}\) :

Electric field (V/m)

\(\overrightarrow{B}\) :

Magnetic field (T)

\(\overrightarrow{p}\) :

Momentum (kg m/s)

t :

Time (s)

u :

Energy density (J/m3)

\(\overrightarrow{S}\) :

Poynting vector (W/m2)

T :

Temperature (K)

A :

Area (m2)

k B :

Boltzmann’s constant (J/K)

L :

Length of beam (m)

M :

Moment (Nm)

M o :

Moment at origin

E :

Elastic modulus (Pa)

I :

Second moment of inertia (m4)

δ :

Maximum deflection (m)

q :

Similarity parameter (unitless)

Δ:

Change or difference

θ :

Angle (°)

v :

Per unit volume

MEMS:

Microelectromechanical systems

sample:

Sample

rad:

Radiation

in:

Into the object

out:

Out of the object

surf:

Surface

photons:

Photons

x:

X-direction

y:

Y-direction

cavity:

Optical cavity

o:

Optical

t:

Total

OMLC:

Optomechanical load cell

SFA:

Surface force apparatus

AFM:

Atomic force microscope

MEMS:

Microelectromechanical systems

EM:

Electromagnetic

PSD:

Position sensing detector

FEM:

Finite element model

SOI:

Silicon on insulator

DOF:

Degree of freedom

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Acknowledgements

ZCL acknowledges support provided by the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals for funding this work through Project SR191001.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Advanced Materials, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    Zayd C. Leseman

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Leseman, Z.C. Design of a Microscale Optomechanical Load Cell for Micro-/Nanostructured Materials Testing Applications. Arab J Sci Eng 47, 1053–1067 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-021-06019-2

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