Self-Alignment and Bonding of Microparts Using Adhesive Droplets

This paper describes the self-alignment and bonding of microparts using adhesive surface tension to assemble microsystems in air. The alignment and bonding were tested experimentally using adhesive droplets, and the resulting performance was evaluated. The adhesive, which was inorganic and water-soluble before hardening, was diluted with water to a ratio of 10:1 so that its surface tension generated a sufficient restoring force for self-alignment. The experimental results showed that the average of the alignment errors obtained using the adhesive on $1.0\times1.0\times0.15-mm$ microparts was less than $2{\mu}m$ in the X and Y directions and 0.2 degrees in the e direction. These alignment errors were almost the same as those obtained using water. The use of a suitable adhesive had no negative effects on the alignment accuracy. The average tensile strength of the adhesive bond after self-alignment was $0.61N/mm^2$.