Kristofer S.J. Pister (Advisor)

Microfabrication, the set of manufacturing techniques used to make computer chips, displays, MEMS, and other devices, is famously difficult, slow, and capital equipment heavy. In this dissertation we propose a much simpler path toward rapid prototyping of microfabricated devices by deposition of nanoparticles in vacuum.

We will discuss generation of nanoparticles of standard microfabrication materials such as metals, oxides, and semiconductors, as well as methods to manipulate these as aerosols in low-pressure gas, culminating in a demonstration of multimaterial printing. We will...

Space exploration often costs multiple millions of dollars for each exploratory mission to get a single piece of equipment into orbit. These missions usually return information in the form of scans or images or samples in the form of extracted material. This work proposes the manufacture and deployment of thousands of imaging capable solar sails systems with 10 gram payloads. Power generation is enabled through solar panels and batteries. Navigation is enabled through one square meter solar sails maneuvered by inchworm motors. Communications are enabled by laser transmitters and SPAD...