• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
• /
• 2001.06a
• /
• pp.36-41
• /
• 2001

In this work, the changes in the friction force(lateral force) with respect to nanoscale geometric variation were investigated using an Atomic Force Microscope and a Lateral Force Microscope. It could be concluded that the changes in the friction force correspond well to the slope change rather than the surface slope itself, and that the influence of slope change on the frictional behavior is dependent on the magnitude of the slope and the torsional stiffness of the cantilever. Also, the nominal friction force is found to be more significantly affected by the material and the physical-chemical state of the surface rather than by nanoscale geometric steps. However, the change in nanoscale geometric details of the surface cause instantaneous change and slight variation in the friction signal.

• Tribology and Lubricants
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 2020

Recently, graphene has attracted considerable attention owing to its unique electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The broad spectrum of applications from optics, sensors, and electronics to biodevice have been proposed based on these properties. In particular, graphene has been proposed as a protective coating layer and solid lubricant for microdevices and nanodevices because of its high mechanical strength, chemical inertness, and low friction characteristics. During the past decade, extensive efforts have been made to explore the tribological characteristics of graphene under various conditions and to expand its applicability. In addition to the experimental approaches, the molecular simulations performed provide fundamental insights into the friction and wear characteristics of graphene resulting from molecular interactions. This work is a review of the studies conducted over the past decade on the tribological characteristics of graphene using molecular simulation. These studies demonstrate the principal mechanisms of the superlubricity of graphene and help clarify the influences of surface conditions on tribological behavior. In particular, the investigation of the effects of the number of layers, strength of adhesion to the substrate, surface roughness, and commensurability provides deeper insights into the tribological characteristics of graphene. These fundamental understandings can help elucidate the feasibility of graphene as a protective coating layer and solid lubricant for microdevices and nanodevices.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.13-20
• /
• 2023

The process of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication involves surface treatment to impart functionality to the device. Such surface treatment method is the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) technique, which modifies and functionalizes the surface of MEMS components with organic molecule monolayer, possessing a precisely controllable strength that depends on immersion time and solution concentration. These monolayers spontaneously adsorb on polymeric substrates or metal/ceramic components offering high precision at the nanoscale and modifying surface properties. SAM technology has been utilized in various fields, such as tribological property control, mass-production lithography, and ultrasensitive organic/biomolecular sensor applications. This paper provides an overview of the development and application of SAM technology in various fields.