Processing-microstructure-resulting materials properties of LIGA Ni

Electroplated nickel is the main material used in LIGA technique for fabricating MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) components. This paper presents the recent results regarding LIGA Ni material property enhancement at Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices at Louisiana State University. The methodology of this study is based on the fundamental materials science paradigm that processing and manufacturing determine the microstructure of materials, which results in specific properties, and governs the performance of the structures that are made from these materials. This paper will focus on results in three aspects of our current research efforts, which are: (1) manipulating the plating parameters to tailor deposited Ni microstructures for different grain size distributions that are in the range of tens nanometer in diameters; (2) analyzing the mechanical properties, such as nano-hardness, micro-hardness, and wearing property as the function of LIGA Ni metallurgical microstructures; (3) estimating the corrosion properties of nanocrystalline LIGA Ni.