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Module 3 PDF

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are miniature devices that combine electrical and mechanical components. MEMS consist of microsensors to gather environmental data, microelectronics to process the sensor data, microactuators that can trigger external devices based on the processed data, and microstructures that are extremely small structures built onto chips. MEMS allow for minimized energy and material usage in manufacturing due to their small size and ability to integrate mechanical and electrical components.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
239 views55 pages

Module 3 PDF

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are miniature devices that combine electrical and mechanical components. MEMS consist of microsensors to gather environmental data, microelectronics to process the sensor data, microactuators that can trigger external devices based on the processed data, and microstructures that are extremely small structures built onto chips. MEMS allow for minimized energy and material usage in manufacturing due to their small size and ability to integrate mechanical and electrical components.

Uploaded by

Sandeep Verma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MICROFABRICATION

TECHNOLOGIES

1. Microsystem Products
2. Microfabrication Processes

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Relative Sizes in Microtechnology
and Nanotechnology

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Design Trend and Terminology

 Miniaturization of products and parts, with features


sizes measured in microns (10-6 m) or smaller
 Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) -
miniature systems consisting of both electronic
and mechanical components
 Microsystem technology (MST) - refers to the
products as well as the fabrication technologies
 Nanotechnology - even smaller entities whose
dimensions are measured in nanometers (10-9 m)

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Advantages of Microsystem
Products

 Less material usage


 Lower power requirements
 Greater functionality per unit space
 Accessibility to regions that are forbidden to larger
products
 In most cases, smaller products should mean lower
prices because less material is used

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Types of Microsystem Devices

 Microsensors
 Microactuators
 Microstructures and microcomponents
 Microsystems and micro-instruments

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microsensors

A sensor is a device that detects or measures some


physical phenomenon such as heat or pressure
 Most microsensors are fabricated on a silicon substrate
using the same processing technologies as those used
for integrated circuits
 Microsensors have been developed to measure force,
pressure, position, speed, acceleration, temperature,
flow, and various optical, chemical, environmental, and
biological variables

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microactuators

An actuator converts a physical variable of one type


into another type, and the converted variable usually
involves some mechanical action
 An actuator causes a change in position or the
application of force
 Examples of microactuators: valves, positioners,
switches, pumps, and rotational and linear motors

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microstructures and
Microcomponents

Micro-sized parts that are not sensors or actuators


 Examples: microscopic lenses, mirrors, nozzles,
gears, and beams
 These items must be combined with other
components in order to provide a useful function

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microscopic Gear
and Human Hair
Image by scanning electron microscope - gear is high-density
polyethylene molded by a process similar to LIGA (photo courtesy of
W. Hung, Texas A&M U., and M. Ali, Nanyang Tech. U).

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microsystems and micro-
instruments

Integration of several of the preceding components


with the appropriate electronics package into a
miniature system or instrument
 Products tend to be very application-specific
 Examples: microlasers, optical chemical
analyzers, and microspectrometers
 The economics of manufacturing these kinds of
systems have made commercialization difficult

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Industrial Applications of
Microsystems

 Ink-jet printing heads


 Thin-film magnetic heads
 Compact disks
 Automotive components
 Medical applications
 Chemical and environmental applications
 Other applications

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Ink-Jet Printing Heads

 Currently one of the largest applications of


microsystems
 A typical ink-jet printer uses up several cartridges
each year
 Today’s ink-jet printers have resolutions of 1200 dots
per inch (dpi)
 This resolution converts to a nozzle separation
of only about 21 m
 Certainly in the microsystem range
Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
Ink-Jet Printer Head

 Resistance heater boils ink to create plume that


forces drop to be expelled onto paper

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Thin-Film Magnetic Heads

 Read-write heads are key components in magnetic


storage devices
 Reading and writing of magnetic media with higher bit
densities limited by the size of the read-write head
 Development of thin-film magnetic heads was an
important breakthrough not only in digital storage
technology but microfabrication technologies as well
 Thin-film read-write heads are produced annually in
hundreds of millions of units.

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Thin-Film Magnetic
Read-Write Head

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Automotive Components

 Micro-sensors and other micro-devices are widely


used in modern automobiles
 Between 20 and 100 sensors are installed in a
modern automobile
 Functions include cruise control, anti-lock braking
systems, air bag deployment, automatic
transmission control, power steering, all-wheel
drive, automatic stability control, and remote
locking and unlocking
 In 1970 there were virtually no on-board sensors

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Medical Applications

 A driving force for microscopic devices is the principle


of minimal-invasive therapy
 Small incisions or even available body orifices to
access the medical problem
 Standard medical practice today is to use endoscopic
examination accompanied by laparoscopic surgery for
hernia repair and removal of gall bladder and appendix
 Similar procedures are used in brain surgery, operating
through small holes drilled in skull

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microfabrication Processes

 Many MST products are based on silicon - Why?


 Microdevices often include electronic circuits, so
both the circuit and the device can be made on the
same substrate
 Silicon has good mechanical properties:
 High strength and elasticity, good hardness,
and relatively low density
 Techniques to process silicon are well
established from processing of ICs

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Other Materials and MST
Processing

 MST often requires other materials in addition to


silicon to obtain a particular microdevice
 Example: microactuators often consist of several
components made of different materials
 Thus, microfabrication techniques consist of more
than just silicon processing:
 LIGA process
 Other conventional and nontraditional processes
performed on microscopic scale

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Silicon Layer Processes

 First application of silicon in MST was in the


fabrication of piezoresistive sensors to measure
stress, strain, and pressure in the early 1960s
 Silicon is now widely used in MST to produce
sensors, actuators, and other microdevices
 The basic processing technologies are those used to
produce integrated circuits
 However, there are certain differences between
processing of ICs and fabrication of microdevices

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Microfabrication vs.
IC Fabrication

 Aspect ratios (height-to-width ratio of the features) in


microfabrication are generally much greater than in
IC fabrication
 The device sizes in microfabrication are often much
larger than in IC processing
 The structures produced in microfabrication often
include cantilevers and bridges and other shapes
requiring gaps between layers
 These features are not found in integrated circuits

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Introduction/Outline

- What Are MEMS?


- Components of MEMS
- Applications
- Summary

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


What are MEMS?

• Micro - Small size, microfabricated structures

• Electro - Electrical signal /control ( In / Out )

• Mechanical - Mechanical functionality ( In / Out )

• Systems - Structures, Devices, Systems


What are MEMS?

• Made up of components between 1-100 micrometers in size

• Devices vary from below one micron up to several mm

• Functional elements of MEMS are miniaturized structures, sensors,


actuators, and microelectronics

• One main criterion of MEMS is that there are at least some elements
that have mechanical functionality, whether or not they can move
Components

Microelectronics:
• “brain” that receives, processes, and makes decisions
• data comes from microsensors
Microsensors:
• constantly gather data from environment
• pass data to microelectronics for processing
• can monitor mechanical, thermal, biological, chemical optical, and
magnetic readings
Microactuator:
• acts as trigger to activate external device
• microelectronics will tell microactuator to activate device
Microstructures:
• extremely small structures built onto surface of chip
• built right into silicon of MEMS
Why Micro machine?

 Minimize energy and materials use in manufacturing


 • Redundancy and arrays
 • Integration with electronics
 • Reduction of power budget
 • Faster devices
 • Increased selectivity and sensitivity
 • Cost/performance advantages
 • Improved reproducibility (batch fabrication)
 • Improved accuracy and reliability
 • Minimally invasive (e.g. pill camera)
Factors to Consider

Establish need in light of conventional approaches


(faster, smaller, cheaper)
– Does the MEMS solution provide a significant cost reduction?
– Does it enable a new function or level of performance that cannot be
achieved otherwise?
– Does the market justify the development of a MEMS approach? Can
conventional machining or plastic molding techniques be used?
– Does the cost analysis include package & test?
Understand the basic physics and operating principles,
including scaling laws
– Increased surface-to-volume ratio
– Actuation forces
– Thermal transport
• Understand the important issues in designing
Factors to Consider

Can you use an existing “standard” process?


– If not, can you design a simple and reasonably priced
fabrication process?
Consider the issues of packaging at the outset:
– Can existing packages be used or adapted?
– Reliability issues (e.g. hermetically sealed)?
Estimate the final cost of the ready-to-use device
– Difficult to get cost data out of foundry for custom
process. Will depend sensitively on volume and yield.
This is really difficult to access!
– Include the cost of packaging
– Include the cost of testing
Where Are MEMS?
Smartphones, tablets, cameras, gaming devices, and
many other electronics have MEMS technology
inside of them

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Biomedical Applications

● Usually in the form of pressure sensors


○ Intracranial pressure sensors
○ Pacemaker applications
○ Implanted coronary pressure measurements
○ Intraocular pressure monitors
○ Cerebrospinal fluid pressure sensors
○ Endoscope pressure sensors
○ Infusion pump sensors
● Retinal prosthesis
● Glucose monitoring & insulin delivery Blood Pressure
● MEMS acts as surgical tools
sensor on the head of
a pin
● Cell, antibody, DNA, RNA enzyme measurement devices
Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
In the Car

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Key Concepts

1. MEMS are made up of microelectronics,


microactuators, microsensors, and microstructures.
2. The three basic steps to MEMS fabrication are:
deposition, patterning, and etching.
3. Chemical wet etching is popular because of high
etch rate and selectivity.
4. The benefits of using MEMS: speed, power
consumption, size, system integration(all on one
chip).

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Summary

 Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems are 1-100 micrometer


devices that convert electrical energy to mechanical
energy and vice-versa.
 The three basic steps to MEMS fabrication are deposition,
patterning, and etching.
 Due to their small size, they can exhibit certain
characteristics that their macro equivalents can’t.
 MEMS produce benefits in speed, complexity, power
consumption, device area, and system integration.
 These benefits make MEMS a great choice for devices in
numerous fields.
Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
LIGA Process/LIGA Lithography

 LIGA is a German acronym that stands for


Lithographie, Galvanoformung and Abformung.

 When translated it means lithography, electroplating


and molding.

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


LIGA Process

 An important technology of MST


 Developed in Germany in the early 1980s
 LIGA stands for the German words
 LIthographie (in particular X-ray lithography)
 Galvanoformung (translated electrodeposition or
electroforming)
 Abformung (plastic molding)
 The letters also indicate the LIGA process sequence

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Background

 LIGA is a three stage micromachining technology


used to manufacture high aspect ratio
microstructures.

 Originally LIGA technology was researched in


Germany in order to be used for the separation of
uranium isotopes.

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Background

 Two main types of LIGA Technology: X-ray LIGA and


Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) LIGA.

 X-ray LIGA can fabricate with great precision high


aspect ratio microstructures.

 EUV LIGA can fabricate lower quality


microstructures.

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


LIGA Process

 LIGA is a hybrid fabrication technique


 The LIGA Process
 Lithography
 Electron beam lithography
 Focused ion beam lithography
 Optical and exciter laser lithography
 Deep X-ray lithography using synchrotron radiation
 Electroplating
 metalized layer (seed layer)
 MoldingJithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
 Machining process to remove overplated metal region
Function of LIGA

 To produce high aspect ratio


 To manufacture 3-D microstructures from a wide variety of materials

Figure: 3-D microstructure


Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
Processing Steps in LIGA

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Step 1:
 -Deposition of Adhesion
 -Seed layer

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Step 2:
 -resist coating

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Step 3:
 -expose the PMMA resist

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Step 4:
 -development of the exposed resist

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Electroplating is a process to fill in the voids between the polymeric


features.
 Step 5:
 -metal plating

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Step 6:
 -removal of the remaining resist

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Processing Steps in LIGA

 Molding is process of machining the overplated region filling the


microstructure
 Step 7:

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET
Advantages of LIGA

 LIGA is a versatile process – it can produce parts by


several different methods
 High aspect ratios are possible (large height-to-width
ratios in the fabricated part)
 Wide range of part sizes is feasible - heights ranging
from micrometers to centimeters
 Close tolerances are possible

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Disadvantages of LIGA

 LIGA is a very expensive process


 Large quantities of parts are usually required to
justify its application
 LIGA uses X-ray exposure
 Human health hazard

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET


Other Microfabrication
Processes
 Soft lithography
 Nontraditional and traditional processes and rapid
prototyping adapted for microfabrication
 Photochemical machining
 Electroplating, electroforming, electroless plating
 Electric discharge machining
 Electron beam machining
 Ultrasonic machining
 Microstereolithography

Jithin K Francis,Asst Prof,Dept of Mechanical Engineering ,RSET

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