Investigation of Microscale Magnetic Forces for Magnet Array Self-Assembly

This paper focuses on quantification and optimization of micromagnetic bonding forces to enable a technique of magnet array self-assembly (MASA). MASA is envisioned to uniquely assemble different microscale components using arrays of hard micromagnets, which are pre-patterned onto the component surfaces via batch-fabrication. Finite-element (FEM) and analytical methods are used to analyze the dependence of magnetic bonding forces on the size, shape, and magnetization of individual pairs of magnets as well as arrays of magnets. The advantages of using micromagnet arrays in place of single magnets for chip scale self-assembly are explored