As the size of mechanical components decreases, capillary forces and surface tension become increasingly significant. A major problem in maintaining high reliability of these small components is that of large frictional forces due to capillary action and surface tension. Unlike the situation with macro-scale systems, liquid lubrication cannot be used to reduce friction of micro-scale components because of the excessive capillary and drag forces. In this work, the feasibility of using evaporation to coat a thin film of organic lubricant on a solid surface was investigated with the aim of reducing friction. Petroleum and silicone oils were used as lubricants to coat a silicon substrate. It was found that friction could be significantly reduced and, furthermore, that the effectiveness of this method was strongly dependent on the coating conditions.
