Maarten P. de Boer

Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Bio

Our group works in the areas of micro- and nanomechanics, with an emphasis on mechanics of materials.  Our objectives are to develop ultra-reliable technologies and to explore new device concepts and test methods.  We design micro- and nanomechanical structures using computer-aided software packages, and we analyze them with analytical and computer-based methods such as finite element analysis.  We fabricate devices using lithography-based clean room methods, and we test them with many techniques including scanning probe, optical and electron microscopies, interferometry, velocimetry, nanoindentation and surface analysis methods such as Auger and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.  Testing is done in controlled atmospheres with ambient pressure ranging from atmospheric to ultra-high vacuum.  Emphasis is placed on building models developed with insight from experimental results.

If you are interested in joining my group for a PhD degree, please apply directly to the Carnegie Mellon University Mechanical Engineering Department.

Education

B.S.E.E. 1981, Cornell

M.S.E.E. 1982, University of Colorado, Boulder

Ph.D. (Mat. Sci.) 1996, University of Minnesota

Recent Publications

1.      E. Soylemez, M. P. de Boer, U. Sae-Ueng, A. Evilevitch, T. A. Stewart and M. D. Nyman, “Photocatalytic degradation of bacteriophages evidence by atomic force microscopy,” PLOS ONE, 8 (1) (2013).

2.      M. P. de Boer, D. A. Czaplewski, M. S. Baker, S. L. Wolfley and J. A. Ohlhausen, “Design, fabrication, performance and reliability of  Pt- and RuO 2 -coated microrelays tested in  ultra-high purity gas environments”, 22 1050127 (2012).

3.      E. D. Reedy, Jr., B. L. Boyce, J. W. Foulk, III,  R. V. Field, Jr., J. A. Ohlhausen, M. P. de Boer and S. S. Hazra, “Predicting Fracture in Micron-Scale Polycrystalline Silicon MEMS Structures”, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems , 20 (4) 922-932 (2011).

4.      S. S. Hazra, M. S. Baker, J. L. Beuth, and M. P. de Boer, “Compact on-chip microtensile tester with prehensile grip mechanism”, Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 20  (4) 1043-1053 (2011).

5.      T. A. Stewart, M. D. Nyma n and M. P. de Boer, “Delaminated titanate and peroxotitanate photocatalysts”, Applied Catalysis B-Environmental, 105 (1-2) 69-76, (2011).

6.      G. Subhash, A. D. Corwin and M. P. de Boer, “Evolution of wear characteristics and frictional behavior in MEMS devices”,41 (1) 177-189 Tribology Letters,  (2011).

7.      M. Naraghi, T. Ozkan, I. Chasiotis, S. S. Hazra, and M. P. de Boer “On-chip nanomechanical experiments with strong and ductile fibers”, J. Micromech. and Microeng., 20 125022 (9 pages)   (2010).

8.      D. B. Asay, M. P. de Boer and S.H. Kim, “Equilibrium vapor adsorption and capillary force: exact Young-Laplace equation solution and circular approximation approaches”, Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology, 24 2363-2382 (2010).

9.      M. P. de Boer, R. C. Anderson, R. J. Shul, P. J. Clews and M. S. Baker, “Wafer-level singulation, release and post-processing in surface micromachining”, J. Micromech. and Microeng., 20 075007 (8pp) (2010).

10.  A. D. Corwin and M. P. de Boer, Frictional aging, de-aging and re-aging in a micromachined interface, Physical Review B 81 174109 (11 pages) (2010).