Simulating adhesion forces between arbitrarily shaped objects in micro/nano-handling operations

This paper describes a numerical method for estimating adhesion forces that are present in different microworld handling operations under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Emphasis is put on the calculation of van der Waals force, although the results can be generalized in a straightforward manner to cover also electrostatic force. The interacting objects can have arbitrary shapes and arbitrary alignments relative to each other. Using surface formulation instead of volume formulation the accuracy of the estimation is enhanced and the computational complexity is reduced. Surface formulation also enables the division of the surfaces into separate regions. This guarantees better accuracy in the computations and makes it possible to use only part of the surfaces in the force computations.