Project Z1 - MEMS Magnetoelectric Sensor Fabrication

The central task of the project is to fabricate magnetoelectric sensors in sufficiently large numbers and with high reproducibility so that they are reliably available for the CRC’s application projects of research area B. As second key task, sensor research projects of area A are to be supported by partially processed wafers. For these purposes, a technology platform has been established and extended during the first two funding periods. The platform combines the micro- and nanosystems capabilities offered by the cleanroom laboratories at the two sites of CAU and ISIT.

In the current period, the bulk micromachining of miniaturized cantilever sensors for direct detection and ΔE-effect read-out was a main work package. Following the new findings of A projects and the work plan, the process flow has been revised twice with the help of failure mode effect analysis and specific design rules. Furthermore, the technology platform has been extended to bulk SAW sensors.

In the funding period applied for, one of the first actions will be to adopt manufacturing processes for the newly introduced converse ME sensors. ISIT will provide it’s propietary PowderMEMS microfabrication technique. It allows for the precise wafer-level integration of three-dimensional micromagnets made of a wide range of materials, like NdFeB, SmCo, Fe and others. The technology will contribute integrated magnetic structures, e.g. for integrated bias and AC magnetic field sources for the use in projects A1, B2, B9 and B13.

By repeatedly adapting the technology platform to the latest findings, Z1 will be a central interface between the projects of the sensor research area A and the projects of area B dedicated to sensor application.

 

Involved Researchers

Person Role
Dr. Dirk Meyners
Materials Science
Inorganic Functional Materials		 Project lead
Prof. Dr. Bjoern Gojdka
Materials Science
Agglomerated Microsystems		 Project lead
M. Sc. Lisa Hanke
Materials Science
Multicomponent Materials		 Doctoral researcher
M.Sc. Hanna Lewitz
Materials Science
Inorganic Functional Materials		 Doctoral researcher
M.Sc. Jana Meyer
Materials Science
Micro-Manufacturing Processes		 Doctoral researcher
M.Sc. Marc Alexander Nowak
Materials Science
Inorganic Functional Materials		 Doctoral researcher

 

Role within the Collaborative Research Centre

The service project Z1 plays an important role within the framework of the CRC, as – together with Z2 – it acts as the interface between the project areas A and B. While the A projects pioneer new sensor concepts, the B projects implement the sensors in biomedical applications. The scientific work of the B projects relies on the availability of sufficiently large numbers of sensors with reliable and reproducible sensor characteristics. The researchers of Z1 will participate in the focus groups F1 - Magnetic Layers, F4 - Magnetoelectric Sensors, and F5 - Concepts based on Delta-E Effect. Collaborations with the following projects are planned:

Collaborations
A1 (Magnetostrictive Multilayers for Magnetoelectric Sensors) Providing partially-processed wafers, powder-magnets and sensor templates for studies on magnetic multilayers; integration of new magnetic multilayers and powder-based permanent magnets.
A2 (Mechanically Soft Micro and Macrocomposite for Wearable Devices) Providing processes for piezoelectric and magnetostrictive functional layers as well as partially processed cantilevers exhibiting magnetostrictive layers and powder-based permanent magnets.
A4 (∆E-Effect Sensors) Supply of ∆E-effect sensors for comparison; technical consulting with respect to external fabrication, support in the realization of post-fabrication processes, esp. the magnetostrictive functional layer.
A6 (Microstructure and Structural Change of Magnetoelectric Sensors) Advanced characterization of functional materials to improve fabrication technology and for identifi- cation of process real structure interrelations.
A7 (Electrically Modulated Magnetoelectric Sensors) Fabrication of converse ME effect resonators; support in miniaturization of the sensor concept.
A9 (Surface Acoustic Wave Magnetic Field Sensors) Partial processing of SAW sensor wafers as process module.
A10 (Magnetic Noise of Magnetoelectric Sensors) Providing ME sensor structures for research on magnetic noise modelling.
B1 (Sensor Noise Performance and Analogue System Design) Providing ME sensors in various concepts for studies on sensor noise performance, feedback regarding sensor performance.
B2 (Digital Signal Processing) Providing ME sensors for the essembly of 3D vector sensors and studies on digital signal processing, feedback regarding sensor performance.
B9 (Magnetoelectric Sensors for Movement Detection and Analysis) Design and fabrication of resonant ME sensors for movement analysis, focus on tuning adjustment of the resonance frequency, feedback regarding sensor performance.
B10 (Magnetoelectric Sensor Systems for Cardiologic Applications) Providing ME sensors for magnetocardiography.
B12 (Bioinspired Nanocomposites for Early Detection of Complications in Gastrointestinal Surgery) Providing SAW sensors for magnetic nanoparticle detection.
B13 (Magnetoelectric 3D Mapping in Gastrointestinal Diagnostics) Providing resonant ME sensors with frequencies matched to AC flux sources.
Z2 (Magnetoelectric Sensor Characterization) Electronics assembly and characterization of ME sensors; feedback regarding sensor performance.

 

Project-related Publications
M. F. Niekiel, J. M. Meyer, H. Lewitz, A. Kittmann, M. A. Nowak, F. Lofink, D. Meyners, J.-H. Zollondz:  What MEMS Research and Development Can Learn from a Production Environment, Sensors, Dec., 23(12), 5549, 2023. 
F. Schlichting, L. Thormählen, J. Cipo, D. Meyners, H. Kersten: Energy-dependent Film Growth Of Cu And NiTi From A Tilted DC Magnetron Sputtering Source Determined By Calorimetric Probe Analysis, Surface and Coatings Technology, 450, 129000, 2022. 
J. Arbustini, J. Muñoz, H. Wang, E. Elzenheimer, J. Hoffmann, L. Thormählen, P. Hayes, F. Niekiel, H. Heidari, M. Höft, E. Quandt, G. Schmidt, A. Bahr: MEMS Magnetic Field Source for Frequency Conversion Approaches for ME Sensors, BMT2022 , Joint Annual Conference of the Austrian, German and Swiss Societies for Biomedical Engineering, 2022. 
M. T. Bodduluri , B.Gojdka , N.Wolff , L. Kienle , T. Lisec, F. Lofink: Article Investigation of Wafer-Level Fabricated Permanent Micromagnets for MEMS, Micromachines , no. 13, issue 5, pp. 742, 2022.
J. M. Meyer, V. Schell, J. Su, S. Fichtner, E. Yarar, F. Niekiel, T. Giese, A. Kittmann, L. Thormählen, V. Lebedev, S. Moench, A. Žukauskaitė, E. Quandt, F. Lofink: Thin-Film-Based SAW Magnetic Field Sensors, Sensors, vol. 21, no. 24, 8166, 2021.
F. Niekiel, J. Su, M.T. Bodduluri, T. Lisec, L. Blohm, I. Pieper, B. Wagner, F. Lofink: Highly Sensitive MEMS Magnetic Field Sensors with Integrated Powder-Based Permanent Magnets, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, vol. 297, 11560, 2019.
E. Yarar, S. Fichtner, P. Hayes, A. Piorra, T. Reimer, T. Lisec, P. Frank, B. Wagner, F. Lofink, D. Meyners, E. Quandt: MEMS-Based AlScN Resonating Energy Harvester With Solidified Powder Magnet, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 28(6), 1019-1031, 2019. 
B. Spetzler, C. Kirchhof, J. Reermann, P. Durdaut, M. Höft, G. Schmidt, E. Quandt, F. Faupel: Influence of the Quality Factor on the Signal to Noise Ratio of Magnetoelectric Sensors Based on the Delta-E Effect, Applied Physics Letters, vol. 114, issue 18, 183504, 2019.
S. B. Hrkac, C. T. Koops, M. Abes, C. Krywka, M. Müller, M. Burghammer, M. Sztucki, T. Dane, S. Kaps, Y. K. Mishra, R. Adelung, J. Schmalz, M. Gerken, E. Lage, C. Kirchhof, E. Quandt, O. M. Magnussen, B. M. Murphy: Tunable Strain in Magnetoelectric ZnO Microrod Composite Interfaces, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 9 (30), pp. 25571–25577 , 2017.