ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | OCTOBER 2025 44 Biomedical Devices. Thin-film NiTi is inherently biocompatible and other thin-film SMAs can be fabricated on or encapsulated by other biocompatible materials to tailor performance and interface. Applications include micro-grippers for surgery, conformal stents with programmable stiffness, and adaptive implants. Thin films open the possibility of integrated sensing[14], lower profiles, and multifunctionality within the same device. FUTURE CHALLENGES AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS Despite their advantages, thin-film SMAs face several challenges before widespread adoption. At the materials level, alloys must retain stable transformations at elevated temperatures (>100°C) relevant to aerospace and auto- motive environments. At the manufacturing level, the transition from laboratory sputtering to industrial-scale PVD and high-volume laser structuring requires demonstration of reproducibility across large substrates with consistent properties. Figure 4 demonstrates differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) of TiNiCu, fabricated by Khanjur R&D’s industrial PVD method. At the device level, thin-film SMA elements must be integrated into packaged electronic and aerospace assemblies, supported by standardized metrics for fatigue life, hysteresis, and degradation. Overcoming these barriers will allow scalable thin films to reshape product design: UAVs capable of mid-flight reconfiguration without servos, wearables that adapt seamlessly to the body, and implants that tune stiffness and shape in real time. In this trajectory, adaptive motion- capable materials become a baseline selection, much as semiconductors are in modern electronics. Collectively, these advances position thin-film SMAs as a transformative material platform for next-generation technologies. CONCLUSION Thin-film SMAs overcome the geometric and functional constraints of wires, tubes, and sheets by offering high recoverable strain, multifunctionality, and direct compatibility with semiconductor processes. With the introduction of industrial-scale PVD, thin films can be reproducibly fabricated at scale. Their ability to unify actuation, sensing, and structural roles within a single microscale material framework can establish a new material class for adaptive, miniaturized technologies. ~SMST For more information: Sabrina Curtis, Ph.D., Dr.-Ing., CEO/ Founder, Khanjur R&D LLC, Silver Spring, MD, 888.542.6587, info@khanjur.com, khanjur.com. References 1. E. Quandt, et al., Sputter Deposition of TiNi, TiNiPd and TiPd Films Displaying the Two-way Shape-memory Effect, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 53.1-3:434-439, 1996. 2. C. Zamponi, et al., Structuring of Sputtered Superelastic NiTi Thin Films by Photolithography and Etching, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 481:623-625, 2008. 3. E. Quandt and C. Zamponi, Superelastic NiTi Thin Films for Medical Applications, Advances in Science and Technology, 59:190-197, 2009. 4. C. Bechtold, et al., Fabrication and Characterization of Freestanding NiTi Based Thin Film Materials for Shape Memory Micro-actuator Applications, Shape Memory and Superelasticity, 5.4:327-335, 2019. 5. S.M. Curtis, et al., TiNiHf/SiO2/Si Shape Memory Film Composites for Bi-Directional Micro Actuation, International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials, 13.2:293-314, 2022. 6. H. Ossmer, et al., Evolution of Temperature Profiles, in TiNi Films for Elastocaloric Cooling, Acta Materialia, 81:9-20, 2014. 7. C. Bechtold, et al., High Cyclic Stability of the Elasto- caloric Effect in Sputtered TiNiCu Shape Memory Films, Applied Physics Letters, 101.9, 2012. 8. S.M. Curtis, et al., Integration of AlN Piezoelectric Thin Films on Ultralow Fatigue TiNiCu Shape Memory Alloys, Journal of Materials Research, 35.10:1298-1306, 2020. 9. S.M. Curtis, et al., Thin-film Superelastic Alloys for Stretchable Electronics, Shape Memory and Superelasticity, 9.1:35-49, 2023. 10. D. Dengiz, et al., Shape Memory Alloy Thin Film Auxetic Structures, Advanced Materials Technologies, 8.12:2201991, 2023. 11. C. Chluba, et al., Ultralow-fatigue Shape Memory Alloy Films, Science, 348.6238:1004-1007, 2015. 12. H. Gu, et al., Phase Engineering and Supercompatibility of Shape Memory Alloys, Materials Today, 21.3:265-277, 2018. 13. D. Shin, et al., High Frequency Actuation of Thin Film NiTi, Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 111.2-3:166-171, 2004. 14. C. Bechtold, et al., Fabrication of Self-expandable NiTi Thin Film Devices with Micro-electrode Array for Bioelectric Sensing, Stimulation and Ablation, Biomedical Microdevices, 18.6 (2016): 106, 2016. Fig. 4 — Differential scanning calorimetry scan confirming sharp transformation behavior in TiNiCu films produced by Khanjur R&D’s new industrial PVD process, validating functional performance at scale. FEATURE 8
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