Motivation and Objective

The ultra-precision and micro technology is one of the key technologies of the 21st century. Whether in medical technology, optics or consumer goods in everyday life, ultra-precision and micro technologies are being used more and more often. Thanks to them, it is possible to manufacture surfaces of components in the micro range, to examine them and to equip them with new properties. The ultra-precision and micro technology is strongly characterized by size effects. The physical effects that take effect during manufacture and characterization differ significantly from the macro range. The behavior of typical materials on the micro scale is inhomogeneous and anisotropic, electrical and electrostatic effects (e. g. van-der-Waals forces) are important for the manufacturing result, and dimensions have to be measured at which physical effects (e. g. diffraction) have to be considered that are not relevant at the macro scale. These size effects must also be taken into account when modeling, simulating and visualizing the results. Consequently, new scientific approaches are here required, too.

The main objective and expected research result is a fundamental understanding of the complex size effects and interactions that define manufacturing and characterization at the micro scale. This understanding will make it possible to be in control of manufacturing processes, to predict the component quality with a high degree of certainty and, as a result, to open up completely new applications for ultra-precision and micro technology.

Research Approach

The planned research work will be carried out in four interdisciplinary research areas. These research areas are linked together and combine the competencies from mechanical engineering, process engineering, physics and computer science in a joint research program.