Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are small integrated devices or systems that combine electrical and mechanical components. They range in size from the sub micrometer level to the millimeter level and there can be any number, from a fe to millions, in a particular system. MEMS e!tend the fabrication techni"ues developed for the integrated circuit industry to add mechanical elements such as beams, gears, diaphragms, and springs to devices. E!amples of MEMS device applications include in#$et-printer cartridges, accelerometer, miniature robots, microengines, loc#s inertial sensors microtransmissions, micromirrors, micro actuator (Mechanisms for activating process control e"uipment by use of pneumatic, hydraulic, or electronic signals) optical scanners, fluid pumps, transducer, pressure and flo of conventional devices. These systems can sense, control, and activate mechanical processes on the micro scale, and function individually or in arrays to generate effects on the macro scale. The micro fabrication technology enables fabrication of large arrays of devices, hich individually perform simple tas#s, but in combination can accomplish complicated functions. MEMS are not about any one application or device, nor are they defined by a single fabrication process or limited to a fe materials. They are a fabrication approach that conveys the advantages of miniaturization, multiple components, and microelectronics to the design and construction of integrated electromechanical systems. MEMS are not only about miniaturization of mechanical systems& they are also a ne paradigm for designing mechanical devices and systems. The MEMS industry has an estimated '() billion mar#et, and ith a sensors. %e applications are emerging as the e!isting technology is applied to the miniaturization and integration

pro$ected ()-*)+ annual gro th rate, it is estimated to have a ',- billion mar#et in *))*. .ecause of the significant impact that MEMS can have on the commercial and defense mar#ets, industry and the federal government have both ta#en a special interest in their development.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 1.1

WHAT IS MEMS TECHNOLOGY?

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through microfabrication technology. 5hile the electronics are fabricated using integrated circuit (06) process se"uences, the micromechanical components are fabricated using compatible 7micromachining7 processes that selectively etch a ay parts of the silicon afer or add ne structural layers to form the mechanical and electromechanical devices.

Microelectronic integrated circuits can be thought of as the 7brains7 of a system and MEMS augments this decision-ma#ing capability to allo ith 7eyes7 and 7arms7, microsystems to sense and control the environment. Sensors gather

information from the environment through measuring mechanical, thermal, biological, chemical, optical, and magnetic phenomena. The electronics then process the information derived from the sensors and through some decision ma#ing capability direct the actuators to respond by moving, positioning, regulating, pumping, and filtering, thereby controlling the environment for some desired outcome or purpose. .ecause MEMS devices are manufactured using batch fabrication techni"ues similar to those used for integrated circuits, unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability, and sophistication can be placed on a small silicon chip at a relatively lo cost.
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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 1.2

WHAT ARE MEMS / MICROSYSTEMS?

MEMS is an abbreviation for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. This is a rapidly emerging technology combining electrical, electronic, mechanical, optical, material, chemical, and fluids engineering disciplines. 8s the smallest commercially produced 7machines7, MEMS devices are similar to traditional sensors and actuators although much, much smaller. E.g. 6omplete systems are typically a fe millimeters across, ith individual features devices of the order of (-()) micrometers across.

MEMS devices are manufactured either using processes based on 0ntegrated 6ircuit fabrication techni"ues and materials, or using ne emerging fabrication technologies such as micro in$ection molding. These former processes involve building the device up layer by layer, involving several material depositions and etch steps. 8 typical MEMS fabrication technology may have a 9 step process. /ue to the limitations of this 7traditional 067 manufacturing process MEMS devices are substantially planar, having very lo aspect ratios (typically 9 -() micro meters thic#). 0t is important to higher aspect note that there are several evolving fabrication techni"ues that allo

ratios such as deep !-ray lithography, electrodeposition, and micro in$ection molding.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems MEMS devices are typically fabricated onto a substrate (chip) that may also contain the electronics re"uired to interact ith the MEMS device. /ue to the small size and mass of the devices, MEMS components can be actuated electrostatically (piezoelectric and bimetallic effects can also be used). The position of MEMS components can also be sensed capacitively. :ence the MEMS electronics include electrostatic drive po er supplies, capacitance charge comparators, and signal conditioning circuitry. 6onnection ith the macroscopic orld is via ire bonding and encapsulation into familiar .;8, M6M, surface mount, or leaded 06 pac#ages.

8 common MEMS actuator is the 7linear comb drive7 (sho n above)

hich consists

of ro s of interloc#ing teeth& half of the teeth are attached to a fi!ed 7beam7, the other half attach to a movable beam assembly. .oth assemblies are electrically insulated. .y applying the same polarity voltage to both parts the resultant electrostatic force repels the movable beam a ay from the fi!ed. 6onversely, by applying opposite polarity the parts are attracted. 0n this manner the comb drive can be moved 7in7 or 7out7 and either /6 or 86 voltages can be applied. The small size of the parts (lo inertial mass) means that the drive has a very fast response time compared to its macroscopic counterpart. The magnitude of electrostatic force is multiplied by the voltage or more commonly the surface area and number of teeth. 6ommercial comb drives have several thousand teeth, each tooth appro!imately () micro meters long. /rive voltages are 6M<S levels. The linear push = pull motion of a comb drive can be converted into rotational motion by coupling the drive to push rod and pinion on a manner the comb drive can rotate the functions> heel in the same heel. 0n this ay a steam engine

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 2

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The invention of the at .ell Telephone ?aboratories in (4-@ spar#ed a fast-gro ing microelectronic technology. 2ac# Ailby of Te!as 0nstruments built the first 0ntegrated circuit in (49B using germanium (;e) devices. 0t consisted of one transistor, three Cesistors, and one 6apacitor. The 06 ;e that as implemented on a sliver of as glued on a glass slide. ?ater that same year Cobert %oyce of 1airchild ith gro n and alloyed $unctions

Semiconductor announced the development of a Dlanar double-diffused Si 06. The complete transition from the original ;e transistors as an electronic material Semiconductors Since (4@), the comple!ity of 06s has doubled every t o to three years. The minimum dimension of manufactured devices and 06s has decreased from *) microns to the sub micron levels of today. 6urrent ultra-large-scale-integration (E?S0) technology enables the fabrication of more than () million transistors and capacitors on a typical chip. 06 fabrication is dependent upon sensors to provide input from the surrounding environment, $ust as control systems need actuators in order to carry out their desired functions. /ue to the availability of sand as a material, much effort as put into developing Si processing and characterization tools. These tools are no being used to advance transducer technology. TodayFs 06 technology far outstrips the original sensors and actuators in performance, size, and cost. 8ttention in this area The first microsensor, sensor. 0n (49- it as first focused on microsensor development. as the Si pressure as due partly to its to silicon (Si) planar double-diffused devices too# about () years. The success of Si ide availability from silicon dio!ide (Si<*-sand), resulting in potentially lo er material costs relative to other

hich has also been the most successful,

as discovered that the piezoresistive effect in ;e and Si had the

potential to produce ;e and Si strain gauges ith a gauge factor () to *) times greater than those based on metal films. 8s a result, Si strain gauges began to be developed commercially in (49B. The first high-volume pressure sensor as mar#eted by %ational Semiconductor in (4@-. This sensor included a temperature controller for constant-temperature operation. 0mprovements in this technology since then have

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems included the utilization of ion implantation for improved control of the piezoresistor fabrication. Si pressure sensors are no a billion-dollar industry. 8round (4B*, the term micromachining came into use to designate the fabrication of micromechanical parts for Si microsensors. The micromechanical parts ere fabricated by selectively etching areas of the Si substrate a ay in order to leave behind the desired geometries. 0sotropic etching of Si Harious etch-stop techni"ues fle!ibility. These techni"ues also form the basis of the bul# micromachining processing techni"ues. .ul# micromachining designates the point at hich the bul# of the Si substrate is etched a ay to leave behind the desired micromechanical elements. .ul# micromachining has remained a po erful techni"ue for the fabrication of micromechanical elements. :o ever, the need for fle!ibility in device design and performance improvement has motivated the development of ne techni"ues for micromachining. 8mong these is the sacrificial layer techni"ue, first demonstrated in (4G9 by %athanson and 5ic#strom, in hich a layer of material is deposited bet een structural layers for mechanical separation and isolation. This layer is removed during the release etch to free the structural layers and to allo mechanical devices to move relative to the substrate. 8 layer is releasable hen a sacrificial layer separates it from the substrate. The application of the sacrificial layer techni"ue to micromachining in (4B9 gave rise to surface micromachining, in hich the Si substrate is primarily used as a mechanical support upon hich the micromechanical elements are fabricated. Drior to (4B@, these micromechanical structures /uring (4B@-(4BB, a turning point /uring a series of three separate MEMS ere limited in motion. hen, for the first ere demonstrated. concepts and as developed in the early (4G)s for transistor fabrication. 8nisotropic etching of Si then came about in (4G@. ere subse"uently developed to provide further process

as reached in micromachining

time, techni"ues for integrated fabrication of mechanisms on Si

or#shops on microdynamics held in (4B@, the term

as coined. E"uivalent terms for MEMS are microsystems-preferred in

Europe and micromachines-preferred in 2apan.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 3

MEMS DESCRIPTION

MEMS technology can be implemented using a number of different materials and manufacturing techni"ues& the choice of hich ill depend on the device being created and the mar#et sector in hich it has to operate.

SILICON
The economies of scale, ready availability of cheap high-"uality materials and ability to incorporate electronic functionality ma#e silicon attractive for a ide variety of MEMS applications. Silicon also has significant advantages hen it is fle!ed there is virtually no engendered through its material properties. 0n single crystal form, silicon is an almost perfect :oo#ean material, meaning that hysteresis and hence almost no energy dissipation. The basic techni"ues for producing all silicon based MEMS devices are deposition of material layers, patterning of these layers by photolithography and then etching to produce the re"uired shapes.

POLYMERS
Even though the electronics industry provides an economy of scale for the silicon industry, crystalline silicon is still a comple! and relatively e!pensive material to produce. Dolymers on the other hand can be produced in huge volumes, ith a great variety of material characteristics. MEMS devices can be made from polymers by processes such as in$ection moulding, embossing or stereolithography and are especially testing cartridges. ell suited to microfluidic applications such as disposable blood

METALS
Metals can also be used to create MEMS elements. 5hile metals do not have some of the advantages displayed by silicon in terms of mechanical properties, hen used ithin their limitations, metals can e!hibit very high degrees of reliability. Metals can be deposited by electroplating, evaporation, and sputtering processes. 6ommonly used metals include gold, nic#el, aluminum, chromium, titanium, tungsten, platinum, and silver

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 4

MEMS DESIGN PROCESS

hich are,

There are three basic building bloc#s in MEMS technology,

Depo !"!o# P$o%e -the ability to deposit thin films of material on a substrate, L!"&o'$(p&)-to apply a patterned mas# on top of the films by photolithograpic imaging, and E"%&!#'-to etch the films selectively to the mas#. 8 MEMS process is usually a structured se"uence of these operations to form actual devices.

SECTION 4.1

DEPOSITION PROCESSES

<ne of the basic building bloc#s in MEMS processing is the ability to deposit thin films of material. 0n this te!t e assume a thin film to have a thic#ness any here bet een a fe nanometers to about ()) micrometer MEMS deposition technology can be classified in t o groups3 (. /epositions that happen because of a %&e*!%(+ reaction3
o o o o

Chemical ,apor Deposition (6H/) Electrodeposition Epita!y Thermal o!idation

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems These processes e!ploit the creation of solid materials directly from chemical reactions in gas and=or li"uid compositions or ith the substrate material. The solid material is usually not the only product formed by the reaction. .yproducts can include gases, li"uids and even other solids. *. /epositions that happen because of a p&) !%(+ reaction3
o o

Physical ,apor Deposition (DH/) 6asting

6ommon for all these processes are that the material deposited is physically moved on to the substrate. 0n other ords, there is no chemical reaction processes, though it is more convenient to thin# of them that ay. This is by no means an e!haustive list since technologies evolve continuously. hich forms the material on the substrate. This is not completely correct for casting

SECTION 4.1.1

CHEMICAL ,APOR DEPOSITION -C,D.

0n this process, the substrate is placed inside a reactor to hich a number of gases are supplied. The fundamental principle of the process is that a chemical reaction ta#es place bet een the source gases. The product of that reaction is a solid material ith condenses on all surfaces inside the reactor. The t o most important 6H/ technologies in MEMS are the Lo Pressure 6H/ (?D6H/) and Plasma Enhanced 6H/ (DE6H/). The ?D6H/ process produces layers ith e!cellent uniformity of thic#ness and material characteristics. ith the process are the high deposition temperature (higher than deposition rate. The DE6H/ process can operate at The main problems

G))I6) and the relatively slo

lo er temperatures (do n to ,))I 6) than#s to the e!tra energy supplied to the gas molecules by the plasma in the reactor. :o ever, the "uality of the films tend to be inferior to processes running at higher temperatures. Secondly, most DE6H/ deposition systems can only deposit the material on one side of the afers on ( to afers at a time. ?D6H/ systems deposit films on both sides of at least *9 afers at a time. 8 schematic diagram of a typical ?D6H/ reactor is sho n in the figure belo .

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

/!'0$e 11 Typical hot-wall LPCVD reactor.

WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE C,D?

6H/ processes are ideal to use some of them are less popular hen you ant a thin film ith good

step coverage. 8 variety of materials can be deposited

ith this technology& ho ever,

ith fabs because of hazardous by-products formed ith higher

during processing. The "uality of the material varies from process to process, ho ever a good rule of thumb is that higher process temperature yields a material "uality and less defects. ELECTRODEPOSITION This process is also #no n as 7electroplating7 and is typically restricted to electrically conductive materials. There are basically t o technologies for plating3 Electroplating and Electroless plating. 0n the electroplating process the substrate is placed in a li"uid solution (electrolyte). 5hen an electrical potential is applied bet een a conducting area on the substrate and a counter electrode (usually platinum) in the li"uid, a chemical redo! process ta#es place resulting in the formation of a layer of material on the substrate and usually some gas generation at the counter electrode. 0n the electroless plating process a more comple! chemical solution is used, in hich deposition happens spontaneously on any surface hich forms a sufficiently high electrochemical potential ith the solution. This process is desirable

since it does not re"uire any e!ternal electrical potential and contact to the substrate

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems during processing. Enfortunately, it is also more difficult to control electroplating is sho n in the figure belo . WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE ELECTRODEPOSITION? The electrodeposition process is to L())Km. The deposition is best controlled ell suited to ma#e films of metals hen used ith an e!ternal electrical ith regards to film thic#ness and uniformity. 8 schematic diagram of a typical setup for

such as copper, gold and nic#el. The films can be made in any thic#ness from J(Km potential, ho ever, it re"uires electrical contact to the substrate hen immersed in the li"uid bath. 0n any process, the surface of the substrate must have an electrically conducting coating before the deposition can be done.

/!'0$e 21 Typical setup for electrodeposition. EPITA2Y This technology is "uite similar to hat happens in 6H/ processes,

ho ever, if the substrate is an ordered semiconductor crystal (i.e. silicon, gallium arsenide), it is possible ith this process to continue building on the substrate ith the same crystallographic orientation also be amorphous or polycrystalline. ith the substrate acting as a seed for the ill deposition. 0f an amorphous=polycrystalline substrate surface is used, the film

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems There are several technologies for creating the conditions inside a reactor needed to support epita!ial gro th, of induction heated reactor deposited. 8n advantage of epita!y is the high gro th rate of material, allo s the formation of films hich hich the most important is ,apor Phase Epita!y (HDE). 0n this process, a number of gases are introduced in an here only the substrate is heated. The temperature of the substrate typically must be at least 9)+ of the melting point of the material to be

ith considerable thic#ness (L())Km). Epita!y is a

idely used technology for producing silicon on insulator (S<0) substrates. The technology is primarily used for deposition of silicon. 8 schematic diagram of a typical vapor phase epita!ial reactor is sho n in the figure belo .

/!'0$e 31 Typical cold-wall vapor phase epitaxial reactor. WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE EPITA2Y? This has been and continues to be an emerging process technology in MEMS. The process can be used to form films of silicon ith thic#nesses of J(Km to L())Km. Some processes re"uire high temperature e!posure of the substrate, hereas others do not re"uire significant heating of the substrate. Some processes can even be used to perform selective deposition, depending on the surface of the substrate.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems THERMAL O2IDATION This is one of the most basic deposition technologies. 0t is simply o!idation of the substrate surface in an o!ygen rich atmosphere. The temperature is raised to B))I 6-(())I 6 to speed up the process. This is also the only deposition technology hich actually consumes some of the substrate as it proceeds. The gro th hich means the film of the film is spurned by diffusion of o!ygen into the substrate,

gro th is actually do n ards into the substrate. 8s the thic#ness of the o!idized layer increases, the diffusion of o!ygen to the substrate becomes more difficult leading to a parabolic relationship bet een film thic#ness and o!idation time for films thic#er than J())nm. This process is naturally limited to materials that can be o!idized, and it can only form films that are o!ides of that material. This is the classical process used to form silicon dio!ide on a silicon substrate. 8 schematic diagram of a typical afer o!idation furnace is sho n in the figure belo . WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE THERMAL O2IDATION? 5henever you can> This is a simple process, produces films hich unfortunately

ith some hat limited use in MEMS components. 0t is typically used

to form films that are used for electrical insulation or that are used for other process purposes later in a process se"uence.

/!'0$e 41 Typical wafer oxidation furnace.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 4.1.2

PHYSICAL ,APOR DEPOSITION -P,D.

hich material is

DH/ covers a number of deposition technologies in technologies are evaporation and sputtering. WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE P,D?

released from a source and transferred to the substrate. The t o most important

DH/ comprises the standard technologies for deposition of metals. 0t is far more common than 6H/ for metals since it can be performed at lo er process ris# and cheaper in regards to materials cost. The "uality of the films are inferior to 6H/, hich for metals means higher resistivity and for insulators more defects and traps. The step coverage is also not as good as 6H/. The choice of deposition method (i.e. evaporation vs. sputtering) may in many cases be arbitrary, and may depend more on the specific material at the time. E,APORATION 0n evaporation the substrate is placed inside a vacuum chamber, in hich a bloc# (source) of the material to be deposited is also located. The source material is then heated to the point is re"uired to allo here it starts to boil and evaporate. The vacuum the molecules to evaporate freely in the chamber, and they hat technology is available for

subse"uently condense on all surfaces. This principle is the same for all evaporation technologies, only the method used to the heat (evaporate) the source material differs. There are t o popular evaporation technologies, hich are e-beam evaporation and resistive evaporation each referring to the heating method. 0n e-beam evaporation, an electron beam is aimed at the source material causing local heating and evaporation. 0n resistive evaporation, a tungsten boat, containing the source material, is heated electrically ith a high current to ma#e the material evaporate. Many materials are hat evaporation method can be used (i.e. aluminum is "uite hich typically relates to the phase restrictive in terms of

difficult to evaporate using resistive heating), beam evaporation is sho n in the figure belo .

transition properties of that material. 8 schematic diagram of a typical system for e-

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

/!'0$e 31 Typical system for e-beam evaporation of materials. SPUTTERING Sputtering is a technology in vacuum chamber hich the material is released from the

source at much lo er temperature than evaporation. The substrate is placed in a ith the source material, named a target, and an inert gas (such as pressure. ;as plasma is struc# using an C1 po er source, argon) is introduced at lo

causing the gas to become ionized. The ions are accelerated to ards the surface of the target, causing atoms of the source material to brea# off from the target in vapor form and condense on all surfaces including the substrate. 8s for evaporation, the basic principle of sputtering is the same for all sputtering technologies. The differences typically relate to the manor in hich the ion bombardment of the target is realized. 8 schematic diagram of a typical C1 sputtering system is sho n in the figure belo .

/!'0$e 41 Typical R sputterin! system. (9

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems CASTING 0n this process the material to be deposited is dissolved in li"uid form in a solvent. The material can be applied to the substrate by spraying or spinning. <nce the solvent is evaporated, a thin film of the material remains on the substrate. This is particularly useful for polymer materials, hich may be easily dissolved in organic ay solvents, and it is the common method used to apply photoresist to substrates (in photolithography). The thic#nesses that can be cast on a substrate range all the from a single monolayer of molecules (adhesion promotion) to tens of micrometers. 0n recent years, the casting technology has also been applied to form films of glass materials on substrates. The spin casting process is illustrated in the figure belo . WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE CASTING? 6asting is a simple technology hich can be used for a variety of

materials (mostly polymers). The control on film thic#ness depends on e!act conditions, but can be sustained ithin M=-()+ in a ide range. 0f you are planning to use photolithography you ill be using casting, hich is an integral part of that technology. There are also other interesting materials such as polyimide and spin-on glass hich can be applied by casting.

/!'0$e 51 The spin castin! process as used for photoresist in photolitho!raphy.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 4.2
SECTION 4.2.1

LITHOGRAPHY
PATTERN TRANS/ER

?ithography in the MEMS conte!t is typically the transfer of a pattern to a photosensitive material by selective e!posure to a radiation source such as light. 8 photosensitive material is a material that e!periences a change in its physical properties hen e!posed to a radiation source. 0f e selectively e!pose a photosensitive material to radiation (e.g. by mas#ing some of the radiation) the pattern of the radiation on the material is transferred to the material e!posed, as the properties of the e!posed and une!posed regions differs (as sho n in figure ().

/!'0$e 11 Transfer of a pattern to a photosensitive material.

This discussion

ill focus on optical lithography,

hich is simply lithography using a

radiation source ith avelength(s) in the visible spectrum.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems 0n lithography for micromachining, the photosensitive material used is typically a photoresist (also called resist, other photosensitive polymers are also used). 5hen resist is e!posed to a radiation source of a specific a avelength, the chemical ill etch a ay one of resistance of the resist to developer solution changes. 0f the resist is placed in a developer solution after selective e!posure to a light source, it the t o regions (e!posed or une!posed). 0f the e!posed material is etched a ay by the developer and the une!posed region is resilient, the material is considered to be a positive resist (sho n in figure *a). 0f the e!posed material is resilient to the developer and the une!posed region is etched a ay, it is considered to be a negative resist (sho n in figure *b).

/!'0$e 21 a) Pattern definition in positive resist, b) Pattern definition in ne!ative resist.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems ?ithography is the principal mechanism for pattern definition in micromachining. Dhotosensitive compounds are primarily organic, and do not encompass the spectrum of materials properties of interest to micro-machinists. :o ever, as the techni"ue is capable of producing fine features in an economic fashion, a photosensitive layer is often used as a temporary mas# hen etching an underlying layer, so that the pattern may be transferred to the underlying layer (sho n in figure ,a). Dhotoresist may also be used as a template for patterning material deposited after lithography (sho n in figure ,b). The resist is subse"uently etched a ay, and the material deposited on the resist is 7lifted off7.

The deposition template (lift-off) approach for transferring a pattern from resist to another layer is less common than using the resist pattern as an etch mas#. The reason for this is that resist is incompatible processes, usually because it cannot source of contamination. ith most MEMS deposition ithstand high temperatures and may act as a

/!'0$e 31 a) Pattern transfer from patterned photoresist to underlyin! layer by etchin!, b) Pattern transfer from patterned photoresist to overlyin! layer by lift-off.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems <nce the pattern has been transferred to another layer, the resist is usually stripped. This is often necessary as the resist may be incompatible ith further micromachining steps. 0t also ma#es the topography more dramatic, hamper further lithography steps. hich may

SECTION 4.2.2

ALIGNMENT

0n order to ma#e useful devices the patterns for different lithography steps that belong to a single structure must be aligned to one another. The first pattern transferred to a afer usually includes a set of alignment mar#s, hich are high precision features that are used as the reference hen positioning subse"uent patterns, to the first pattern (as sho n in figure -). <ften alignment mar#s are included in other patterns, as the original alignment mar#s may be obliterated as processing progresses. 0t is important for each alignment mar# on the aligned. afer to be labeled so it may be hich it should be identified, and for each pattern to specify the alignment mar# to

/!'0$e 41 "se of ali!nment mar#s to re!ister subse$uent layers

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*)

Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems /epending on the lithography e"uipment used, the feature on the mas# used for registration of the mas# may be transferred to the afer. 0n this case, it may be important to locate the alignment mar#s such that they donFt effect subse"uent afer processing or device performance. 1or e!ample, the alignment mar# sho n in figure G ill cease to e!ist after a through the afer /C0E etch. Dattern transfer of the mas# alignment features to the afer may obliterate the alignment features on the afer, so afer. 0n this case the alignment mar#s should be designed to minimize this effect, or alternately there should be multiple copies of the alignment mar#s on the there ill be alignment mar#s remaining for other mas#s to be registered to.

/!'0$e 31 Transfer of mas# re!istration feature to substrate durin! litho!raphy %contact ali!ner&

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

/!'0$e 41 Poor ali!nment mar# desi!n for a DR'( throu!h the wafer etches %cross hair is released and lost&. 8lignment mar#s may not necessarily be arbitrarily located on the afer, as the e"uipment used to perform alignment may have limited travel and therefore only be able to align to features located ithin a certain region on the afer (as sho n in figure @). The region location geometry and size may also vary ith the

type of alignment, so the lithographic e"uipment and type of alignment to be used should be considered before locating alignment mar#s. Typically t o alignment mar#s are used to align the mas# and the mas# and to correct for fine offset in rotation. 8s there is no pattern on the afer for the first pattern to align to, the afer flat (as sho n in figure B). afer, one alignment mar# is sufficient to align afer in ! and y, but it re"uires t o mar#s (preferably spaced far apart)

first pattern is typically aligned to the primary

/epending on the lithography e"uipment used, this may be done automatically, or by manual alignment to an e!plicit afer registration feature on the mas#

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

/!'0$e 51 Restriction of location of ali!nment mar#s based on e$uipment used. .

/!'0$e 61 )as# ali!nment to the wafer flat.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 4.2.3

E2POSURE

The e!posure parameters re"uired in order to achieve accurate pattern transfer from the mas# to the photosensitive layer depend primarily on the avelength of the radiation source and the dose re"uired to achieve the desired properties change of the photoresist. /ifferent photoresists e!hibit different sensitivities to different avelengths. The dose re"uired per unit volume of photoresist for good pattern transfer is some hat constant& ho ever, the physics of the e!posure process may affect the dose actually received. 1or e!ample a highly reflective layer under the photoresist may result in the material e!periencing a higher dose than if the underlying layer is absorptive, as the photoresist is e!posed both by the incident radiation as thic#ness. There are also higher order effects, such as interference patterns in thic# resist films on reflective substrates, side all properties. 8t the edges of pattern light is scattered and diffracted, so if an image is overe!posed, the dose received by photoresist at the edge that shouldnFt be e!posed may become significant. 0f e are using positive photoresist, this ill result in the photoresist image being eroded along the edges, resulting in a decrease in feature size and a loss of sharpness or corners (as sho n in figure 4). 0f e are using a negative resist, the photoresist image is dilated, causing the features to be larger than desired, again accompanied by a loss of sharpness of corners. 0f an image is severely undere!posed, the pattern may not be transferred at all, and in less sever cases the results ill be similar to those for overe!posure ith the results reversed for the different polarities of resist. 0f the surface being e!posed is not flat, the high-resolution image of the mas# on the afer may be distorted by the loss of focus of the image across the hen varying topography. This is one of the limiting factors of MEMS lithography problems ith obtaining even resist thic#ness coating, hich may affect the pattern transfer "uality and ell as the reflected radiation. The dose ill also vary ith resist

high aspect ratio features are present. :igh aspect ratio features also e!perience hich further degrades pattern transfer and complicates the associated processing.
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/!'0$e 71 *ver and under-exposure of positive resist.

SECTION 4.2.4

THE LITHOGRAPHY MODULE

ell-characterized

Typically lithography is performed as part of a module, hich includes the alignment of the mas# and

afer surface preparation, photoresist deposition, afer, e!posure, develop and appropriate resist

conditioning. The lithography process steps need to be characterized as a se"uence in order to ensure that the remaining resist at the end of the modules is an optimal image of the mas#, and has the desired side all profile.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems 8 brief e!planation of the standard process steps included in a lithography module is (in se"uence)3

Dehydration bake - dehydrate the afer to aid resist adhesion. HMDS prime - coating of afer surface ith adhesion promoter. Resist spin/spray - coating of the afer ith resist either by spinning or spraying. Typically desire a uniform coat.

Soft bake - drive off some of the solvent in the resist, may result in a significant loss of mass of resist (and thic#ness). Ma#es resist more viscous. Alignment - align pattern on mas# to features on afers. Exposure - pro$ection of mas# image on resist causing selective chemical property change. Post exposure bake - ba#ing of resist to drive off further solvent content. Develop - selective removal of resist after e!posure. Esually a et process. Hard bake - drive off most of the remaining solvent from the resist. Des um - removal of thin layer of resist scum that may occlude open regions in pattern helps to open up corners. 5e ma#e a fe assumptions about photolithography. 1irstly, e assume

that a

ell characterized module e!ists that3 prepares the

afer surface, deposits the afer ith the

re"uisite resist thic#ness, aligns the mas# perfectly, e!poses the

optimal dosage, develops the resist under the optimal conditions, and ba#es the resist for the appropriate times at the appropriate locations in the se"uence. Enfortunately, even if the module is e!ecuted perfectly, the properties of lithography are very feature and topography dependent. 0t is therefore necessary for the designer to be a are of certain limitations of lithography, as ell as the information they should provide to the technician performing the lithography. The designer influences the lithographic process through their selections of materials, topography and geometry. The material(s) upon hich the resist is to be deposited is important, as it affects the resist adhesion. The reflectivity and roughness of the layer beneath the photoresist determines the amount of reflected and dispersed light present during e!posure. 0t is difficult to obtain a nice uniform resist coat across a surface

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems ith high topography, hich complicates e!posure and development as the resist has different thic#ness in different locations.

/!'0$e 181 Litho!raphy tool depth of focus and surface topolo!y.

SECTION 4.3

ETCHING PROCESSES

0n order to form a functional MEMS structure on a substrate, it is necessary to etch the thin films previously deposited and=or the substrate itself. 0n general, there are t o classes of etching processes3 (. 5et etching solution *. /ry etching here the material is sputtered or dissolved using reactive ions or a vapor phase etchant here the material is dissolved hen immersed in a chemical

SECTION 4.3.1

WET ETCHING

This is the simplest etching technology. 8ll it re"uires is a container ith a li"uid solution that must find a mas# that ill dissolve the material in "uestion. Enfortunately, there ill not dissolve or at least etches much slo er than the are complications since usually a mas# is desired to selectively etch the material. <ne material to be patterned. Secondly, some single crystal materials, such as silicon,

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems e!hibit anisotropic etching in certain chemicals. 8nisotropic etching in contrast to isotropic etching means different etches rates in different directions in the material. The classic e!ample of this is the N(((L crystal plane side alls that appear etching a hole in a N())L silicon (A<:). The result is a pyramid shaped hole instead of a hole illustrated in the figure belo . hen afer in a chemical such as potassium hydro!ide ith rounded side alls et etching is

ith a isotropic etchant. The principle of anisotropic and isotropic

WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE WET ETCHING?

This is a simple technology, hich ill give good results if you can find the combination of etchant and mas# material to suit your application. 5et etching or#s very ell for etching thin films on substrates, and can also be used to etch the ith substrate etching is that isotropic processes ill substrate itself. The problem 8nisotropic processes allo surface

cause undercutting of the mas# layer by the same distance as the etch depth. the etching to stop on certain crystal planes in the substrate, but still results in a loss of space, since these planes cannot be vertical to the hen etching holes or cavities. 0f this is a limitation for you, you should consider dry etching of the substrate instead. :o ever, #eep in mind that the cost per afer ill be (-* orders of magnitude higher to perform the dry etching 0f you are ma#ing very small features in thin films (comparable to the film thic#ness), you may also encounter problems the undercutting resolution. ith isotropic et etching, since ill be at least e"ual to the film thic#ness. 5ith dry etching it is hich provides much higher

possible etch almost straight do n ithout undercutting,

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/!'0$e 11 Difference between anisotropic and isotropic wet etchin!.

SECTION 4.3.2

DRY ETCHING

The dry etching technology can split in three separate classes called reactive ion etching (C0E), sputter etching, and vapor phase etching. 0n C0E, the substrate is placed inside a reactor in hich several gases are introduced. Dlasma is struc# in the gas mi!ture using an C1 po er source, brea#ing the gas molecules into ions. The ion is accelerated to ards, and reacts at, the surface of the material being etched, forming another gaseous material. This is #no n as the chemical part of reactive ion etching. There is also a physical part can #noc# atoms out of the material to be etched hich is similar in nature to the sputtering deposition process. 0f the ions have high enough energy, they ithout a chemical reaction. 0t is very comple! tas#s to develop dry etch processes that balance chemical and physical etching, since there are many parameters to ad$ust. .y changing the balance it is possible to influence the anisotropy of the etching, since the chemical part is isotropic and the physical part highly anisotropic the combination can form side alls that have shapes from rounded to vertical. 8 schematic of a typical reactive ion etching system is sho n in the figure belo . 8 special subclass of C0E hich continues to gro rapidly in popularity is deep C0E (/C0E). 0n this process, etch depths of hundreds of microns can be achieved ith almost vertical side alls. The primary technology is based on the sohich filed here t o different gas compositions are alternated in the reactor. called 7.osch process7, named after the ;erman company Cobert .osch the original patent,

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems The first gas composition creates a polymer on the surface of the substrate, and the second gas composition etches the substrate. The polymer is immediately sputtered a ay by the physical part of the etching, but only on the horizontal surfaces and not the side alls. Since the polymer only dissolves very slo ly in the chemical part of the etching, it builds up on the side alls and protects them from etching. 8s a result, etching aspect ratios of 9) to ( can be achieved. The process can easily be used to etch completely through a silicon substrate, and etch rates are ,-- times higher than et etching. Sputter etching is essentially C0E is that substrate is no ithout reactive ions. The systems used are very similar in principle to sputtering deposition systems. The big difference sub$ected to the ion bombardment instead of the material target used in sputter deposition. Hapor phase etching is another dry etching method, is placed inside a chamber, in hich can be done

ith simpler e"uipment than hat C0E re"uires. 0n this process the afer to be etched hich one or more gases are introduced. The material ith the gas molecules. to be etched is dissolved at the surface in a chemical reaction

The t o most common vapor phase etching technologies are silicon dio!ide etching using hydrogen fluoride (:1) and silicon etching using !enon diflouride (Oe1 *), both of hich are isotropic in nature. Esually, care must be ta#en in the design of a vapor phase process to not have bi-products form in the chemical reaction that condense on the surface and interfere ith the etching process.

WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE DRY ETCHING?

The first thing you should note about this technology is that it is e!pensive to run compared to et etching. 0f you are concerned ith feature resolution in thin film structures or you need vertical side alls for deep etchings in the substrate, you have to consider dry etching. 0f you are concerned about the price of your process and device, you may ant to minimize the use of dry etching. The 06 industry has long since adopted dry etching to achieve small features, but in many cases feature size is not as critical in MEMS. /ry etching is an enabling technology, hich comes at a sometimes high cost.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

/!'0$e 21 Typical parallel-plate reactive ion etchin! system.

SECTION 3

/ABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES

The three characteristic features of MEMS fabrication technologies are miniaturization, multiplicity, and microelectronics. Miniaturization enables the production of compact, "uic#-response devices. Multiplicity refers to the batch fabrication inherent in semiconductor processing, hich allo s thousands or millions of components to be easily and concurrently fabricated. Microelectronics provides the intelligence to MEMS and allo s the monolithic merger of sensors, actuators, and logic to build closed-loop feedbac# components and systems. The successful miniaturization and multiplicity of traditional electronics systems been possible ould not have ithout 06 fabrication technology. Therefore, 06 fabrication

technology, or microfabrication, has so far been the primary enabling technology for the development of MEMS. Microfabrication provides a po erful tool for batch processing and miniaturization of mechanical systems into a dimensional domain not accessible by conventional techni"ues. 1urthermore, microfabrication provides an opportunity for integration of mechanical systems performance closed-loop-controlled MEMS. 8dvances in 06 technology in the last decade have brought about corresponding progress in MEMS fabrication processes. Manufacturing processes allo monolithic integration of microelectromechanical structures for the ith driving, controlling, ith electronics to develop high-

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems and signal-processing electronics. This integration promises to improve the performance of micromechanical devices as ell as reduce the cost of manufacturing, pac#aging, and instrumenting these devices.

SECTION 3.1

IC /ABRICATION

8ny discussion of MEMS re"uires a basic understanding of 06 fabrication technology, or microfabrication, the primary enabling technology for the development of MEMS. The ma$or steps in 06 fabrication technology are3 !ilm gro"th3 Esually, a polished Si afer is used as the substrate, on hich a thin film is gro n. The film, hich may be epita!ial Si, Si< *, silicon nitride (Si,%-), polycrystalline Si, or metal, is used to build both active or passive components and interconnections bet een circuits. Doping3 To modulate the properties of the device layer, a lo and controllable level of an atomic impurity may be introduced into the layer by thermal diffusion or ion implantation. #ithography3 8 pattern on a mas# is then transferred to the film by means of a photosensitive (i.e., light sensitive) chemical #no n as a photoresist. The process of pattern generation and transfer is called photolithography. 8 typical mas# consists of a glass plate coated ith a patterned chromium (6r) film. Et hing3 %e!t is the selective removal of un anted regions of a film or substrate for pattern delineation. 5et chemical etching or dry etching may be used. Etch-mas# materials are used at various stages in the removal process to selectively prevent those portions of the material from being etched. These materials include Si<*, Si,%-, and hard-ba#ed photoresist. Di ing3 The finished afer is sa ed or machined into small s"uares, or dice,

from hich electronic components can be made. Pa kaging3 The individual sections are then pac#aged, a process that involves physically locating, connecting, and protecting a device or component. MEMS

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems design is strongly coupled to the pac#aging re"uirements, dictated by the application environment. hich in turn are

SECTION 3.2

BULK MICROMACHINING AND WA/ER BONDING

.ul# micromachining is an e!tension of 06 technology for the fabrication of ,/ structures. .ul# micromachining of Si uses techni"ues in con$unction et- and dry-etching ith etch mas#s and etch stops to sculpt micromechanical

devices from the Si substrate. The t o #ey capabilities that ma#e bul# micromachining a viable technology are3 8nisotropic etchants of Si, such as ethylene-diamine and pyrocatechol (E/D), potassium hydro!ide (A<:), and hydrazine (%*:-). These preferentially etch single crystal Si along given crystal planes. Etch mas#s and etch-stop techni"ues that can be used ith Si anisotropic etchants to selectively prevent regions of Si from being etched. ;ood etch mas#s are provided by Si<* and Si,%-, and some metallic thin films such as 6r and 8u (gold).

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems 8 dra bac# of et anisotropic etching is that the microstructure geometry is defined by the internal crystalline structure of the substrate. T o additional processing techni"ues have e!tended the range of traditional bul# micromachining technology3 deep anisotropic dry etching and Ceactive gas plasmas can perform deep anisotropic dry etching of Si depth of a fe hundred microns, The other technology, afer bonding. afers, up to a

hile maintaining smooth vertical side all profiles.

afer bonding, permits a Si substrate to be attached to another

substrate, typically Si or glass

SECTION 3.3
Surface

SUR/ACE MICROMACHINING
micromachining enables the fabrication of comple!

multicomponent integrated micromechanical structures that

ould not be possible

ith traditional bul# micromachining. This techni"ue encases specific structural parts of a device in layers of a sacrificial material during the fabrication process. The substrate afer is used primarily as a mechanical support on hich multiple alternating layers of structural and sacrificial material are deposited and patterned to realize micromechanical structures. The sacrificial material is then dissolved in a chemical etchant that does not attac# the structural parts. The most the sacrificial material and polysilicon as the structural material. 8t the Eniversity of 5isconsin at Madison, polysilicon surface micromachining research started in the early (4B)s in an effort to create highprecision micro pressure sensors. The control of the internal stresses of a thin film is important for the fabrication of microelectromechanical structures. The microelectronic fabrication industry typically gro s polysilicon, silicon nitride, and silicon dio!ide films using recipes that minimize time. Enfortunately, a deposition process that is optimized to speed does not al ays create a lo internal stress film. 0n fact, most of these films have internal stresses that are highly compressive. 8 freestanding plate of highly compressive polysilicon that is held at all its edges process to control the internal stress by ma#ing it stress-free or slightly tensile. ill buc#le. This is highly undesirable. The solution is to modify the film deposition idely used surface micromachining techni"ue, polysilicon surface micromachining, uses Si<* as

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems 8 better annealing, ay to control the stress in polysilicon is through post hich involves the deposition of pure, fine-grained, compressive

polysilicon. 8nnealing the polysilicon after deposition at elevated temperatures can change the film to be stress-free or tensile. The annealing temperature sets the filmFs final stress. 8fter this, electronics can then be incorporated into polysilicon films through selective doping, and hydrofluoric acid properties of the material. /eposition temperature and the filmFs silicon to nitride ratio can control the stress of a silicon nitride (Si,%-) film. The films can be deposited in compression, stress-free, or in tension. /eposition temperature and post annealing can control silicon dio!ide (Si<*) film stress. .ecause it is difficult to control the stress of Si< * accurately, Si<* is typically not used as a mechanical material by itself, but as electronic isolation or as a sacrificial layer under polysilicon. ill not change the mechanical

SECTION 3.4

MICRO MOLDING

0n the micromolding process, microstructures are fabricated using molds to define the deposition of the structural layer. The structural material is deposited only in those areas constituting the microdevice structure, in contrast to bul# and surface micromachining, hich feature blan#et deposition of the structural material follo ed by etching to realize the final device geometry. 8fter the structural layer deposition, the mold is dissolved in a chemical etchant that does not attac# the structural material. <ne of the most prominent micromolding processes is the ?0;8 process. ?0;8 is a ;erman acronym standing for lithographie, galvanoformung, und abformung (lithography, electroplating, and molding). This process can be used for the manufacture of high-aspect-ratio ,/ microstructures in a ide variety of materials, such as metals, polymers, ceramics, and glasses. Dhotosensitive polyimides

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems are also used for fabricating plating molds. The photolithography process is similar to conventional photolithography, e!cept that polyimide or#s as a negative resist. E9(*p+e1 A# !# 0+!# p0*p :(;$!%("e< ;) %+( !% MEMS "e%&#o+o')

(. DEMD0%; MEM.C8%E ,. 0%?ET 9. ?8C;E MES8 @. .<TT<M ;?8SS D?8TE

*. DEMD0%; 6:8M.EC -. <ET?ET G. EDDEC ;?8SS D?8TE B. D8TTEC%E/ T:0% ?8PEC

SECTION 4

CURRENT CHALLENGES

MEMS and %anotechnology is currently used in lo - or mediumvolume applications. Some of the obstacles preventing its ider adoption are3

LIMITED OPTIONS
Most companies ho ish to e!plore the potential of MEMS and companies

%anotechnology have very limited options for prototyping or manufacturing devices, and have no capability or e!pertise in microfabrication technology. 1e ill build their o n fabrication facilities because of the high cost. 8 mechanism giving smaller organizations responsive and affordable access to MEMS and %ano fabrication is essential.

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PACKAGING
The pac#aging of MEMS devices and systems needs to improve considerably from its current primitive state. MEMS pac#aging is more challenging than 06 pac#aging due to the diversity of MEMS devices and the re"uirement that many of these devices be in contact ith their environment. 6urrently almost all and specialized pac#age MEMS and %ano development efforts must develop a ne

for each ne device. Most companies find that pac#aging is the single most e!pensive and time consuming tas# in their overall product development program. 8s for the components themselves, numerical modeling and simulation tools for MEMS pac#aging are virtually non-e!istent. 8pproaches compromising performance ould be beneficial. /ABRICATION KNOWLEDGE RE=UIRED 6urrently the designer of a MEMS device re"uires a high level of fabrication #no ledge in order to create a successful design. <ften the development of even the most mundane MEMS device re"uires a dedicated research effort to find a suitable process se"uence for fabricating it. MEMS device design needs to be separated from the comple!ities of the process se"uence. hich allo designers to select ithout from a catalog of e!isting standardized pac#ages for a ne MEMS device

SECTION 5
PRESSURE SENSORS

APP#$%A&$'(S

MEMS pressure microsensors typically have a fle!ible diaphragm that deforms in the presence of a pressure difference. The deformation is converted to an electrical signal appearing at the sensor output. 8 pressure sensor can be used to sense the absolute air pressure ithin the inta#e manifold of an automobile engine, so that the amount of fuel re"uired for each engine cylinder can be computed.

ACCELEROMETERS
8ccelerometers are acceleration sensors. 8n inertial mass suspended by springs is acted upon by acceleration forces that cause the mass to be deflected from

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems its initial position. This deflection is converted to an electrical signal, relatively ne development. 8ccelerometers in consumer electronics devices such as game controllers (%intendo 5ii), personal media players = cell phones (8pple iDhone ) and a number of /igital 6ameras (various 6anon /igital 0OES models). 8lso used in D6s to par# the hard dis# head hen free-fall is detected, to prevent damage and data loss. iPod &ou h3 5hen the technology become sensitive. MEMS-based sensors are ideal for a ide array of applications in consumer, communication, automotive and industrial mar#ets. hich appears at the sensor output. The application of MEMS technology to accelerometers is a

The consumer mar#et has been a #ey driver for MEMS technology success. 1or e!ample, in a mobile phone, MD,=MD- player or D/8, these sensors offer a ne intuitive motion-based approach to navigation ithin and bet een pages. 0n game controllers, MEMS sensors allo the player to play $ust moving the

controller=pad& the sensor determines the motion.

INERTIAL SENSORS
0nertial sensors are a type of accelerometer and are one of the principal commercial products that utilize surface micromachining. They
/epartment of 0SE, 1ebruary- 2une3 *))4

are used as airbag-deployment sensors in automobiles, and as tilt or shoc# sensors. The application of these accelerometers to inertial measurement ,B

Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems units is limited by the need to manually align and assemble them into threea!is systems, and by the resulting alignment tolerances, their lac# of inchip analog-to-digital conversion circuitry, and their lo er limit of sensitivity sensitivity

MICROENGINES
8 three-level polysilicon micromachining process has enabled the fabrication of devices ith increased degrees of comple!ity. The process includes heels of microcombination three movable levels of polysilicon, each separated by a sacrificial o!ide layer, plus a stationary level. Microengines can be used to drive the loc#s. They can also be used in combination ith a microtransmission to drive a pop-

up mirror out of a plane. This device is #no n as a micromirror.

SOME OTHER COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS INCLUDE1

0n#$et printers, in# on paper.

hich use piezoelectrics or thermal bubble e$ection to deposit

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

8ccelerometers in modern cars for a large number of purposes including airbag deployment in collisions. MEMS gyroscopes used in modern cars and other applications to detect ya & e.g. to deploy a roll over bar or trigger dynamic stability control. Silicon pressure sensors e.g. car tire pressure sensors, and disposable blood pressure sensors. /isplays e.g. the /M/ chip in a pro$ector based on /?D technology has on its surface several hundred thousand micromirrors. <ptical s itching technology hich is used for s itching technology and

alignment for data communications.

.io-MEMS applications in medical and health related technologies from ?ab<n-6hip to MicroTotal8nalysis (biosensor, chemosensor).

0nterferometric modulator display (0M</) applications in consumer electronics. Esed to create interferometric modulation - reflective display technology as found in mirasol displays.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems MEMS 06 fabrication technologies have also allo ed the manufacture of advanced memory devices (nanochips=microchips).

8s a final e!ample, MEMS technology has been used in fabricating vaporization microchambers for vaporizing li"uid microthrusters for nanosatellites. The chamber is part of a microchannel silicon and glass substrates ith a height of *-() microns, made using

AD,ANTAGES O/ MEMS
Minimize energy and materials use in manufacturing 6ost=performance advantages

DISAD,ANTAGES O/ MEMS
1arm establishment re"uires huge investments Micro-components are 6ostly compare to macro-components /esign includes very much comple! procedures Drior #no ledge is needed to integrate MEMS devices

0mproved reproducibility 0mproved accuracy and reliability

0ncreased selectivity and sensitivity

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 6

THE /UTURE
e have and

Each of the three basic microsystems technology processes seen, bul# micromachining, sacrificial surface micromachining,

micromolding=?0;8, employs a different set of capital and intellectual resources. MEMS manufacturing firms must choose hich specific microsystems manufacturing techni"ues to invest in. MEMS technology has the potential to change our daily lives as much as the computer has. :o ever, the material needs of the MEMS field are at a preliminary stage. 8 thorough understanding of the properties of e!isting MEMS materials is $ust as important as the development of ne MEMS materials. 1uture MEMS applications numbers of mechanical components action. 1uture MEMS products ill be driven by processes enabling greater

functionality through higher levels of electronic-mechanical integration and greater or#ing alone or together to enable a comple! ith the physical orld. The high up-front ill li#ely limit the ill demand higher levels of electrical-mechanical

integration and more intimate interaction

investment costs for large-volume commercialization of MEMS success as sensors, MEMS products ne and improved systems.

initial involvement to larger companies in the 06 industry. 8dvancing from their ill be embedded in larger non-MEMS systems, ill enable such as printers, automobiles, and biomedical diagnostic e"uipment, and

HOW THE MEMS AND NANO E2CHANGE CAN HELP?

The MEMS and %anotechnology E!change provides services that can help ith some of these problems.

5e ma#e a diverse catalog of processing capabilities available to our users, so our users can e!periment ith different fabrication technologies. <ur users donFt have to build their o n fabrication facilities, and

<ur

eb-based interface lets users assemble process se"uences and submit

them for revie by the MEMS and %anotechnology E!changeFs engineers and fabrication sites.

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

SECTION 7

CONCLUSION

The automotive industry, motivated by the need for more efficient safety systems and the desire for enhanced performance, is the largest consumer of MEMSbased technology. 0n addition to accelerometers and gyroscopes, micro-sized tire pressure systems are no standard issues in ne vehicles, putting MEMS pressure sensors in high demand. Such micro-sized pressure sensors can be used by physicians and surgeons in a telemetry system to measure blood pressure at a stet, allo ing early
detection of hypertension and restenosis. Alternatively, the detection of bio molecules can benefit most from MEMS-based biosensors. Medical applications include the detection of DNA sequences and metabolites. MEMS biosensors can also monitor several chemicals simultaneously, makin them perfect for detectin to!ins in the environment. "astly, the dynamic ran e of MEMS based silicon ultrasonic sensors have many advanta es over e!istin destructive evaluation, pro!imity sensin pie#oelectric sensors in nonand as flo$ measurement. and liquid

Silicon ultrasonic sensors are also very effective immersion sensors and provide improved performance in the areas of medical ima in level detection.

The medical,

ireless technology, biotechnology, computer, automotive and

aerospace industries are only a fe that ill benefit greatly from MEMS. This enabling technology allo ing the development of smart products, augmenting the computational ability of microelectronics space of possible designs and applications. MEMS devices are manufactured for unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability, and sophistication can be placed on a small silicon chip at a relatively lo cost. MEMS promises to revolutionize nearly every product category by bringing together silicon-based microelectronics ith micromachining technology, ma#ing possible the realization of complete ) "e* >o#>(>%&!p. ith the perception and control capabilities of microsensors and microactuators and e!panding the

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems MEMS ill be the indispensable factor for advancing technology in the *(st century and it promises to create entirely ne categories of products.

SECTION 18
INTRODUCTION

SAMPLE SLIDES

Introduction
What is MEMS Technology? MEMS technology is based on a number of tools and methodologies, which are used to form small structures with dimensions in the micrometer scale
MEMS

fabrication approach that conveys the advantages of miniaturization, multiple components, and microelectronics to the design and construction of integrated Electromechanical systems

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BUILDING BLOCKS IN MEMS

Building Blocks In MEMS

How MEMS are prepared? There are three basic building blocks in MEMS technology. 1. Deposition: The ability to deposit thin films of material on a substrate. 2. Lithography: To apply a patterned mask on top of the films by photolithograpic imaging. 3. Etching: To etch the films selectively to the mask.

(- March *))4

MEMS DEPOSITION TECHNOLOGY

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

MEMS Deposition Technology

MEMS deposition technology can be classified in two groups:
.

!epositions that happen because of a chemical reaction:

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Electrodeposition Epitaxy Thermal oxidation hysical Vapor Deposition ( VD) Casting
G

".

!epositions that happen because of a physical reaction:

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MEMS LETHOGRAPHY TECHNOLOGY

MEMS Lithography Technology

1. 2.

MEMS lithography technology can be classified in two groups: attern Trans!er Lithographic "od#le
a. b. c. d. e .

De hydration bake and HMDS prime Re sist spin/spray and Soft bake Alignme nt, Expos re !ost e xpos re bake and Hard bake De sc m
@

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MEMS ETCHING TECHNOLOGY

MEMS Etching Technology

There are two classes of etching process:
1.

$et etching : The material is dissolved when immersed in a chemical solution. Dry etching: The material is sputtered or dissolved using reactive ions or a vapor phase etchant.

2.

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MEMS /ABRICATION PROCESS

/epartment of 0SE,

1ebruary- 2une3 *))4

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

Microfa rication !rocess

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((

MEMS APPLICATION

ME MSA p p lic a tio n s

Micro-e ngine s "Micro Re actors, #ibrating $he e l Ine rtial S e nsors "#irt al Re ality Syste m s Acce le rome te rs "Airbag Acce le rom e te r Pre ssure S e nsors "Air !re ss re Se nsors Optical MEMS "!ill %ame ra Fluidic MEMS &%artridge s for !rinte rs Bio MEMS &'lood !re ss re Se nsors MEMS Me mory Units&(lash Memory

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AD,ANTAGES AND DISAD,ANTAGES

"d#antages and Disad#antages

Minimize energy and materials use in manufacturing #ost$performance advantages %mproved reproducibility %mproved accuracy and reliability %ncreased selectivity and sensitivity &arm establishment re'uires huge investments Micro(components are #ostly compare to macro(components !esign includes very much comple) procedures *rior knowledge is needed to integrate MEMS devices

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()

CONCLUSION
/epartment of 0SE, 1ebruary- 2une3 *))4

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems

$onclusion
The medical, wireless technology, biotechnology, computer, automotive and aerospace industries are only a few that will benefit greatly from MEMS. This enabling technology promises to create entirely new categories of products MEMS will be the indispensable factor for advancing technology in the 21st century
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SECTION 11
O#+!#e Re o0$%e
Q .S86 http3==

RE/ERENCES

-bsac.eecs.ber#eley.edu= .darpa.mil=mto= .dban#s.demon.co.u#=ueng=

Q /8CD8 MT< http3==

Q 0EEE E!plore http3==ieee!plore.ieee.org=Oplore=/yn5el.$sp Q 0ntroduction to Microengineering http3== Q MEMS 6learinghouse http3== Q MEMS E!change http3== Q M<S0S http3== Q MEMDS http3== Q ESDT< http3== Q Trimmer http3== Q MEMS 0ndustry ;roup http3== .mosis.org= .memscap.com=memsrus=crmumps.html -cis.stanford.edu= .uspto.gov= .trimmer.net= .yole.fr=pages8n=accueil.asp .memsnet.org= .mems-e!change.org= .memsindustrygroup.org=

Q Stanford 6entre for 0ntegrated Systems http3==

Q Pole /evelopment http3==

?o0$#(+
Q 2ournal of Micromechanical Systems Q 2ournal of Micromechanics and Microengineering

/epartment of 0SE,

1ebruary- 2une3 *))4

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Seminar on Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Q Micromachine /evices Q Sensors Magazine

/epartment of 0SE,

1ebruary- 2une3 *))4

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