Sven Sperling

Sven Sperling is a PhD candidate in the Mechanics of Materials research group at the department of Mechanical Engineering. His PhD research focuses on unraveling the mechanics involved in wear particle detachment from silicon wafers induced by sliding contact with diamond-like carbon coated machine parts. The main goal is to establish a numerical model of a scratch test at the micrometer length scale involving pressure induced phase transitions. Exploiting these simulations with corresponding experimental validation will provide insightful data about the mechanisms involved in wear debris formation. The acquired information can be used to predict and control contamination in places required to be immaculate.

Contamination is a limiting factor in reducing fabrication length-scales in high-tech applications, but before one can start to control it, one has to understand its source.