Development of Ni-base Superalloys for MEMS ApplicationsKevin J. Hemker, Johns Hopkins University, DMR 0806753

MEMS micro-devices typically do not operate above 100°C because metallic MEMS materials like LIGA Ni suffer from poor thermal stability and have very poor elevated temperature properties.

Bulk Ni-base superalloys are employed in land and aero based turbines at 1,000°C because of their two-phase microstructure but cannot be shaped on the micro-scale.

This project has realized the development of MEMS Ni-base superalloys through development of three processing routes :

① LIGA based electrocodeposition of Ni with nanoscale Al powders

② Vapor phase aluminization of LIGA micro-structures

③ Direct sputtering of conventional Ni-base superalloys

② Superalloy Ni-Al specimens produced by vapor phase aluminization of LIGA Ni micro-components

③ Sputtered Inconel 718 nanocrystalline thin films

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Ni-AlLIGA Ni

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. Stre

ss (M

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18 at.% Al

0 at.% Al

JHU Personnel: Kevin Hemker (PI); Devin Burns (PhD); Alex Caffee (ug); Devin Cornish + Joshua Greenspan(HS)

KIT Personnel: Jarir Aktaa (co-PI); Klaus Bade (co-PI); Michael Teutsch (PhD)

Development of Ni-base Superalloys for MEMS ApplicationsKevin J. Hemker, Johns Hopkins University, DMR 0806753

Baltimore Polytechnic Students

Devin Cornish (2011) Joshua Greenspan (2012)

- Developed automated 3D surface tomography system with graduate student guidance

- Shown below presenting their results at Poly’s Ingenuity Mathematics & Science Symposium

Hopkins / KIT Exchange