Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia have developed a method for using ultrasonics to enable precision micro- and nano-manufacturing, precisely controlling the spread of a thin-film fluid along a specially designed chip. The current method for manufacturing using thin film technology lacks precision. It involves structures that are physically spun around to disperse the liquid and coat components with thin film. In the new process, the thin-film liquid either flows towards or away from high-frequency sound waves depending on its thickness. The researchers have determined the physics behind the process, enabling them to “precisely control and direct the application of thin-film liquid at a micro and nano-scale”. The new process was shown to work on a chip made of lithium niobate. The surface of the chip is covered with microelectrodes and the chip is connected to source of ultrasonic waves (10-1,000 MHz). Thin-film liquid is added to the surface of the chip, and the surface acoustic waves are used to control the flow of the liquid. When the liquid is ultra-thin, it flows away from the high-frequency sound waves, while the flow reverses at slightly thicker dimensions. At a millimeter or more in depth, the flow reverses again, moving away.
Source: AlphaGalileo
