Publications

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This SAND report fulfills the final report requirement for the Born Qualified Grand Challenge LDRD. Born Qualified was funded from FY16-FY18 with a total budget of ~$13M over the 3 years of funding. Overall 70+ staff, Post Docs, and students supported this project over its lifetime. The driver for Born Qualified was using Additive Manufacturing (AM) to change the qualification paradigm for low volume, high value, high consequence, complex parts that are common in high-risk industries such as ND, defense, energy, aerospace, and medical. AM offers the opportunity to transform design, manufacturing, and qualification with its unique capabilities. AM is a disruptive technology, allowing the capability to simultaneously create part and material while tightly controlling and monitoring the manufacturing process at the voxel level, with the inherent flexibility and agility in printing layer-by-layer. AM enables the possibility of measuring critical material and part parameters during manufacturing, thus changing the way we collect data, assess performance, and accept or qualify parts. It provides an opportunity to shift from the current iterative design-build-test qualification paradigm using traditional manufacturing processes to design-by-predictivity where requirements are addressed concurrently and rapidly. The new qualification paradigm driven by AM provides the opportunity to predict performance probabilistically, to optimally control the manufacturing process, and to implement accelerated cycles of learning. Exploiting these capabilities to realize a new uncertainty quantification-driven qualification that is rapid, flexible, and practical is the focus of this effort.

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The project objective was to detail better ways to assess and exploit intelligent oil and gas field information through improved modeling, sensor technology, and process control to increase ultimate recovery of domestic hydrocarbons. To meet this objective we investigated the use of permanent downhole sensors systems (Smart Wells) whose data is fed real-time into computational reservoir models that are integrated with optimized production control systems. The project utilized a three-pronged approach (1) a value of information analysis to address the economic advantages, (2) reservoir simulation modeling and control optimization to prove the capability, and (3) evaluation of new generation sensor packaging to survive the borehole environment for long periods of time. The Value of Information (VOI) decision tree method was developed and used to assess the economic advantage of using the proposed technology; the VOI demonstrated the increased subsurface resolution through additional sensor data. Our findings show that the VOI studies are a practical means of ascertaining the value associated with a technology, in this case application of sensors to production. The procedure acknowledges the uncertainty in predictions but nevertheless assigns monetary value to the predictions. The best aspect of the procedure is that it builds consensus within interdisciplinary teams The reservoir simulation and modeling aspect of the project was developed to show the capability of exploiting sensor information both for reservoir characterization and to optimize control of the production system. Our findings indicate history matching is improved as more information is added to the objective function, clearly indicating that sensor information can help in reducing the uncertainty associated with reservoir characterization. Additional findings and approaches used are described in detail within the report. The next generation sensors aspect of the project evaluated sensors and packaging survivability issues. Our findings indicate that packaging represents the most significant technical challenge associated with application of sensors in the downhole environment for long periods (5+ years) of time. These issues are described in detail within the report. The impact of successful reservoir monitoring programs and coincident improved reservoir management is measured by the production of additional oil and gas volumes from existing reservoirs, revitalization of nearly depleted reservoirs, possible re-establishment of already abandoned reservoirs, and improved economics for all cases. Smart Well monitoring provides the means to understand how a reservoir process is developing and to provide active reservoir management. At the same time it also provides data for developing high-fidelity simulation models. This work has been a joint effort with Sandia National Laboratories and UT-Austin's Bureau of Economic Geology, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, and the Institute of Computational and Engineering Mathematics.

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Sandia and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories are developing a briefcase-sized, broad-spectrum bioagent detection system. This autonomous instrument, the BioBriefcase, will monitor the environment and warn against bacterium, virus, and toxin based biological attacks. At the heart of this device, inexpensive polymer microfluidic chips will carry out sample preparation and analysis. Fabrication of polymer microfluidic chips involves the creation of a master in etched glass; plating of the master to produce a nickel stamp; large lot chip replication by injection molding; and thermal chip sealing. Since the performance and reliability of microfluidic chips are very sensitive to fluidic impedance and to electromagnetic fluxes, the microchannel dimensions and shape have to be tightly controlled during chip fabrication. In this talk, we will present an overview of chip design and fabrication. Metrology data collected at different fabrication steps and the dimensional deviations of the polymer chip from the original design will be discussed.

Recent world events have underscored the need for a satellite based persistent global surveillance capability. To be useful, the satellite must be able to continuously monitor objects the size of a person anywhere on the globe and do so at a low cost. One way to satisfy these requirements involves a constellation of satellites in low earth orbit capable of resolving a spot on the order of 20 cm. To reduce cost of deployment, such a system must be dramatically lighter than a traditional satellite surveillance system with a high spatial resolution. The key to meeting this requirement is a lightweight optics system with a deformable primary and secondary mirrors and an adaptive optic subsystem correction of wavefront distortion. This proposal is concerned with development of MEMS micromirrors for correction of aberrations in the primary mirror and improvement of image quality, thus reducing the optical requirements on the deployable mirrors. To meet this challenge, MEMS micromirrors must meet stringent criteria on their performance in terms of flatness, roughness and resolution of position. Using Sandia's SUMMIT foundry which provides the world's most sophisticated surface MEMS technology as well as novel designs optimized by finite element analysis will meet severe requirements on mirror travel range and accuracy.

Fast and quantitative analysis of cellular activity, signaling and responses to external stimuli is a crucial capability and it has been the goal of several projects focusing on patch clamp measurements. To provide the maximum functionality and measurement options, we have developed a patch clamp array device that incorporates on-chip electronics, mechanical, optical and microfluidic coupling as well as cell localization through fluid flow. The preliminary design, which integrated microfluidics, electrodes and optical access, was fabricated and tested. In addition, new designs which further combine mechanical actuation, on-chip electronics and various electrode materials with the previous designs are currently being fabricated.

This paper demonstrates a simple technique for building n-channel MOSFETs and complex micromechanical systems simultaneously instead of serially, allowing a more straightforward integration of complete systems. The fabrication sequence uses few additional process steps and only one additional masking layer compared to a MEMS-only technology. The process flow forms the MOSFET gate electrode using the first level of mechanical polycrystalline silicon, while the MOSFET source and drain regions are formed by dopant diffusions into the substrate from subsequent levels of heavily doped poly that is used for mechanical elements. The process yields devices with good, repeatable electrical characteristics suitable for a wide range of digital and analog applications.

This report outlines our work on the integration of high efficiency photonic lattice structures with MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems). The simplest of these structures were based on 1-D mirror structures. These were integrated into a variety of devices, movable mirrors, switchable cavities and finally into Bragg fiber structures which enable the control of light in at least 2 dimensions. Of these devices, the most complex were the Bragg fibers. Bragg fibers consist of hollow tubes in which light is guided in a low index media (air) and confined by surrounding Bragg mirror stacks. In this work, structures with internal diameters from 5 to 30 microns have been fabricated and much larger structures should also be possible. We have demonstrated the fabrication of these structures with short wavelength band edges ranging from 400 to 1600nm. There may be potential applications for such structures in the fields of integrated optics and BioMEMS. We have also looked at the possibility of waveguiding in 3 dimensions by integrating defects into 3-dimensional photonic lattice structures. Eventually it may be possible to tune such structures by mechanically modulating the defects.

This LDRD is aimed to place Sandia at the forefront of GaN-based technologies. Two important themes of this LDRD are: (1) The demonstration of novel GaN-based devices which have not yet been much explored and yet are coherent with Sandia's and DOE's mission objectives. UV optoelectronic and piezoelectric devices are just two examples. (2) To demonstrate front-end monolithic integration of GaN with Si-based microelectronics. Key issues pertinent to the successful completion of this LDRD have been identified to be (1) The growth and defect control of AlGaN and GaN, and (2) strain relief during/after the heteroepitaxy of GaN on Si and the separation/transfer of GaN layers to different wafer templates.

Failure analysis (FA) tools have been applied to analyze tungsten coated polysilicon microengines. These devices were stressed under accelerated conditions at ambient temperatures and pressure. Preliminary results illustrating the failure modes of microengines operated under variable humidity and ultra-high drive frequency will also be shown. Analysis of tungsten coated microengines revealed the absence of wear debris in microengines operated under ambient conditions. Plan view imaging of these microengines using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed no accumulation of wear debris on the surface of the gears or ground plane on microengines operated under standard laboratory conditions. Friction bearing surfaces were exposed and analyzed using the focused ion beam (FIB). These cross sections revealed no accumulation of debris along friction bearing surfaces. By using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in conjunction with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we were able to identify the thickness, elemental analysis, and crystallographic properties of tungsten coated MEMS devices. Atomic force microscopy was also utilized to analyze the surface roughness of friction bearing surfaces.

Two major problems associated with Si-based MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) devices are stiction and wear. Surface modifications are needed to reduce both adhesion and friction in micromechanical structures to solve these problems. In this paper, the authors present a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process that selectively coats MEMS devices with tungsten and significantly enhances device durability. Tungsten CVD is used in the integrated-circuit industry, which makes this approach manufacturable. This selective deposition process results in a very conformal coating and can potentially address both stiction and wear problems confronting MEMS processing. The selective deposition of tungsten is accomplished through the silicon reduction of WF{sub 6}. The self-limiting nature of the process ensures consistent process control. The tungsten is deposited after the removal of the sacrificial oxides to minimize stress and process integration problems. The tungsten coating adheres well and is hard and conducting, which enhances performance for numerous devices. Furthermore, since the deposited tungsten infiltrates under adhered silicon parts and the volume of W deposited is less than the amount of Si consumed, it appears to be possible to release adhered parts that are contacted over small areas such as dimples. The wear resistance of tungsten coated parts has been shown to be significantly improved by microengine test structures.