Welcome to the Lecture

MICROSYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Dr.-Ing. Ronny Gerbach

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The scripts of the lectures Microsystems Engineering are
made to the best of one's knowledge and belief.
The scripts are intended exclusively for educational
purposes in this lecture and are not officially published.
It is not allowed to pass the scripts as hard or soft copy
to others. In addition, it is also not allowed to publish the
scripts or parts of them on online platforms.
The contents of the exam are all topics of the lectures
and the seminars and are not limited to the scripts.

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 Context of other Lectures

Physikalische Technologien Fundamental techniques for

Mikrotechnik creating microstructures
BSc. PT
Microsystems
MicrosystemsEngineering
as an application of
Mikrosystemtechnik 5.Sem.
Microtechnolgy and special
processes.

Thin Films Manufacturing, characterization

and application of thin films
MSc. SI
Micro- and Nanostructures 3. Sem. Lithography
Semiconductor Devices
Nanotechnology

Introduction -3-
 Microsystems Engineering

■ Post graduate basic module

■ Auditorium:
■ Master, Scientific Instrumentation, 1. Semester
■ Master, Werkstofftechnik, 1. Semester

■ Lecture: 2 SWS (hours/week)

■ Seminar: biweekly

■ Assessment: written exam (90 minutes)

Introduction -4-
 Where you can find the lecture notes?

Introduction -5-
 Where you can find the lecture notes?

Password:
MSE_WS1718

Introduction -6-
 Course Outline

1) Introduction
2) Clean Rooms and Yield
3) Materials for Microsystem Engineering
4) Thin Film Technology
5) Lithography
6) MEMS Technologies
7) Introduction into Packaging Technologies
8) Alternative Approaches for Microsystem Engineering

Introduction -7-
 Literature
[1] W. Menz, J. Mohr, O. Paul, Microsystem Technology, Wiley, 2007
[2] G. Gerlach, W. Doetzel, Introduction to Microsystem Technology,
Wiley, 2008
[3] M. J. Madou, Fundamentals of Microfabrication and
Nanotechnology, CRC Press, 2011
[4] M. Elwenspoek, H. V. Jansen, Silicon Micromachining, Cambridge
University Press, 1998
[5] K. E. Petersen, Silicon as a mechanical material, Proc. of the IEEE,
Vol. 70, May, 1982
...

Scientific Journals
[1] Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering
[2] Journal of Micromechanical Systems
[3] Sensors and Actuators
[4] Microsystem Technologies
…

Introduction -8-
 MEMS & Sensor Applications - Smartphone

Introduction -9-
 MEMS & Sensor Applications - Automotive

Introduction -10-
 MEMS & Sensor Applications - Medical

Introduction -11-
 MEMS & Sensor Applications - Others

Smart home &

Wearable electronics
„Internet of Things“

https://www.electronicproducts.com/Internet_of_Things/Sensors/Smart_sensors_at_core_of_
energy_saving_for_IoT_connected_homes_and_industry.aspx

“Smart city” Consumer industry…

Sports…
“Smart agriculture” Gaming…

Internet of Things (IOT)

Introduction -12-
 MEMS – Market Forcast

Introduction -13-
 MEMS – Top 30 MEMS Companies

Introduction -14-
 MEMS – Foundry Ranking

Introduction -15-
 Micro-System-Technologies (Engineering)

■ Main feature of microsystem engineering is the systemic character

■ Integration of (non-electronic) components, functionalities,
materials and technologies
■ in most cases: combination with microelectronics

■ Typical sizes of functional components in micrometer range

Introduction -16-
 Dimensions for Microengineering
References: Microsystem Engineering: Mechanical Engineering:
1m
Diameter
Human hand silicon wafer
100 mm
PCB
10 mm (Micro)
Machining
Size of a chip
Water droplet
1 mm

Size of MEMS features

Diameter of a hair 100 µm (e.g. membranes, beams,
fluidic channels) (Micro) Injection
molding
10 µm

Biological cell 1 µm Wavelength

(Micro) Hot
visible light
Embossing
Virus 100 nm
Thickness of thin films
10 nm Minimal structure
size digital IC
DNA 1 nm
Lattice constant
of Silicon
Atomic radius 0.1 nm

Introduction -17-
 Typical Process Sequence for Microelectronics
■ Microelectronics = Planar (2D), top-down technology
■ Repeating sequence of deposition, lithography and etching process steps on
semiconductor substrates (e.g. silicon wafers)

Resist

SiO2 Silicon

Silicon
1.step Silicon

Silicon
Silicon

Silicon
Silicon

Introduction -18-
 What is the relation between Microsystem Engineering to
Microelectronics?
■ Microsystems engineering as extension of microelectronics (2D technology)
■ Use of silicon as mechanical material  2.5D technology
■ System realization by typical and also adapted semiconductor processes
■ Manufacturing of micro-mechanical, micro-optical, micro-fluidical,…
elements
■ Hybrid and/or monolithic integration of MEMS components with ICs

Microelectronic device Microsystem / MEMS device

Design / cross section of CMOS IC Design /cross section of a MEMS microphone

Source: ST Microelectronics

Introduction -19-
 What is the relation between Microsystem Engineering to
Mechanical Engineering / Mechatronics?
■ Microsystems as miniaturized mechatronic system
■ Miniaturization of dimensions and electromechanical solution by using
processes for microsystem engineering
■ Increase of integration level
■ Combining with electronic interfaces (e.g. ICs for data evaluation)

Conventional accelerometer MEMS accelerometer

https://www.pruftechnik.com
http://www.bosch-presse.de/c

Introduction -20-
 History of Microelectronics

1958 Invention of first planar transistor and IC (J. Hoerni, J. Kilby)

1959 Invention of first planar IC (R. Noyce, Fairchild Semiconductor)
1960 Invention of first MOSFET (M. Atalla & Kang, Bell Laboratories)
1961 First commercial monolithic IC (Fairchild Semiconductor)
1967 First standard MOS product (Fairchild Semiconductor)
1970 First DRAM chips (Intel)
1978 Invention of microprocessor 8086 (Intel)
1981 Invention of the first personal computer (IBM, Intel, Microsoft)
1982 Microprocessor 80286 (Intel)
1985 Microprocessor 80386 (Intel)
1989 Microprocessor 80486 (Intel)
1993 Microprocessor Pentium (Intel)
…

Introduction -21-
Moore’s Law

■ The complexity of
integrated circuits
doubles every
24months
■ Decrease of costs per
device
■ “Node sizes”
■ 1971: 10 µm
■ 1989: 0.8 µm
■ 1999: 180 nm
■ 2010: 32 nm
■ 2017: 10 nm
■ (2020: 5 nm)

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 History of Microsystem Engineering

1954 Detection of piezoresistivity in Silicon and Germanium (Kulite

Semiconductor)
1961 Demonstration of a silicon based pressure sensor (Kulite Semiconductor)
1974 First serial production of pressure sensors (National Semiconductor)
1977-79 Development of a micromechanical print head (IBM, HP)
1982 Description of silicon as mechanical material (K. Petersen)
1983 Development of surface micromachining
1986 Development of the LIGA process (FZ Karlsruhe)
1987 Invention of digital mirror devices (L. Hornbeck, Texas Instruments)
1989 Presentation of an electrostatic driven micro motor (Sandia Laboratory)
since 1990s Dynamic and worldwide growth for pressure sensors, inertial
sensors, …

Typical min. feature size in the micrometer range

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 Main Components of Microsystem
Package
Protection of functional components

Electronic
Mechanical / component (ASIC)
sensor for data analysis and conversion
components
e.g. actuator or sensor

Interfaces
Electronic contacts

Prediction of the future development:

■ since 2017: International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS)
■ before: the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS)
ASIC = Application Specific Integrated Circuit Source: Infineon Technologies AG

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 Manufacturing in Microsystem Engineering

■ Highly parallelized device manufacturing on

■ up to 100 mm wafers  R&D, III-V materials
■ 150 / 200 mm wafers  MEMS and CMOS manufacturing
■ 300 mm wafers  CMOS manufacturing

■ Typical wafer batch sizes: 25 wafers

■ Minimal feature size:
■ Microelectronics  10 nm (node size)
■ Microsystem engineering  micrometer range

■ Wafer processing using well established (and cost effective) CMOS

processes and special MEMS processes
■ Lithography
■ Thin film processes (deposition and patterning)
■ Implantation and doping
■ Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE)
■ Wet-chemical etching in bulk silicon

Introduction -25-
 Important Definitions

■ MEMS = Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System
■ CMOS = Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor
■ Smart Sensor = sensor with integrated electronic
■ Actuator = Component for force generation
■ Structural layer = Functional layer with included mechanical components
■ Sacrificial layer = Layer which will be partially removed underneath the structural
layer
■ Aspect ratio = Ratio between height and lateral dimensions
■ ASIC = Application Specific Integrated Circuit
■ Fab = Description of a manufacturing line in microelectronics or microsystem
engineering
■ Foundry = Fabrication plant in semiconductor industries offering processes without
own sensor products
■ FEOL (Front End of Line) = Part of IC manufacturing for forming individual devices
(transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) ) in silicon
■ BEOL (Back End of Line) = Part of IC manufacturing for device interconnecting
■ Frontend = Description of the part of a fab for CMOS processing
■ Backend = Description for subsequent processing of chips inkl. MEMS processing and
Integrated circuit packaging

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 Course Outline

1) Introduction
 Scaling of Physical Effects

2) Clean Rooms and Yield

3) Materials for Microsystem Engineering
4) Thin Film Technology
5) Lithography
6) MEMS Technologies
7) Introduction into Packaging Technologies
8) Alternative Approaches for Microsystem Engineering

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 What should you know?

■ What is the scaling factor of a system?

■ How can the scaling factor be calculated?
■ Are constants always constant in real?
■ What is the effect of scaling on length, surfaces and volume?
■ Which kind of “new” effects should be considered in microsystem
engineering?
■ Friction and wear
■ Surface tension and countermeasures

Scaling of Physical Effects -28-

 Motivation

■ Assessment of physical effects is caused by our (macroscopic)

experiences.
■ What will happen in microscale dimensions?

Effects of scaling are visible in nature

■ Example: Water strider

■ Why doesn’t this animal sink?
■ Why bigger animals can’t do this?

Scaling of Physical Effects -29-

 What does scaling mean?

Scaling = similar reduction of the size of a system or structure

1 : 1/100
1 : s

But: Not all properties will remain constant.

Scaling of Physical Effects -30-

 Scaling Factors

■ Approach: Introduction of a scaling factor 𝑠

Example: length scaling 𝐿′ = 𝑠 𝐿
For a size reduction: 𝑠<1
The scaling influences all dimension-depended parameters of a system.

■ Target: Determination of an overall scaling factor 𝑆 for a

microsystem

■ Example: Scaling of the electrical resistance of a metal line

conducting paths used in microsystems as
𝑙
■ Electrical connection of functional components 𝑅 = 𝜌∙
■ Heater elements in sensors or actuators
𝐴
■ Electrical resistance sensor (e.g. temperature sensor)

Scaling of Physical Effects -31-

 System Technological Approach
“Physical interpretation” of the scaling of the resistance
 R increases with 𝑆′𝑅 = 1
𝑠

Considering system technological aspects:

■ Width of the metal line 𝑏  scales with 𝑠 (reference)
■ Height ℎ  scales (approximately) with width because
the achievable aspect ratio limits the thickness
■ Length 𝑙  doesn’t scale with 𝑠 in most cases
■ Size reduction enables higher integration
■ Chip area remains almost constant
■ Increase of the relative line width

System scaling factor: 𝑆′𝑅 = 1 ≤ 𝑆𝑅 ≤ 1

𝑠 𝑠2

Scaling of Physical Effects -32-