Friction, adhesion and wear properties of PDMS films on silicon sidewalls

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the first tests of friction, adhesion and wear properties of thin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) films on the sidewalls of silicon-on-insulator structures. The test devices were individually calibrated using a simple method that included optical and electrical measurements. The static coefficient of friction versus normal pressure curves were obtained for PDMS–PDMS, PDMS–silicon and silicon–silicon sidewall interfaces. The effects of aging on friction and adhesion properties of PDMS were also evaluated. The results of friction tests showed that the static coefficient of friction follows the JKR contact model, which means that the friction force depends on the apparent area of contact. The wear tests showed high resistance of PDMS to abrasion over millions of cycles.