Silicon Heart in a Humming Hand

A unique gift designed and fabricated with micro-fabrication technology on our first Valentine's Day. The gift shows the combination of technology, music, romance and horror... The material used are mainly silicon, glass and chromium. The technics include Deep Reactive Ion Etching, Lithography, Electron Beam Physical Vapour Deposition... I hope that she can understand that my "cold" heart hums for her.

Step 1: Fabricate Silicon Structure for the Heart

1) Etch a square cavity on backside of a silicon wafer sample;

2) Bond silicon sample with glass handle;

3) Pattern and etch silicon layer;

I designed a pattern that best represents my heart in front of my valentine: solid yet fragile (as silicon), sharp-cornered but has straight-forward paths leading to the heart, reflective (as a mirror), smooth and cool ;-).

4) Check if the heart is free.

Because of the cavity, the heart should be independent of the holder (metaphor of my valentine) while matching well in the square area surrounded by gentle fingers.

Step 2: Enclose the Silicon Heart in a Music Box

1) Take apart a violin-shaped music box (I like the music "My heart is like a violin");

2) Paste the silicon structure on a transparent membrane (no need of glue, clean silicon surface sticks onto the membrane well);

3) Position the membrane inside the music box to suspend the silicon structure as if in the air;

4) Mount the front lid back to the music box.

Step 3: Make a Bit Sense of Contrast

1) Wrap the violin music box with red packaging paper;

2) Poke with the headstock into a finger of a rubber glove to accommodate (perhaps should be the ring finger instead of the middle...);

3) Leave part of the red paper outside as if it's bleeding;

4) Then prepare a surprise:

a. put the hand on her bedside table to "surprise" her,

b. tell her in a casual voice that it's her Valentine's Day gift,

c. turn the knob to make a humming hand and tell her to open it,

d. when she see the silicon heart floating inside the music box, tell her to take care of my cold silicon heart.