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 few 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$printer cartridges, accelerometer, miniature robots, microengines, loc"s inertial sensors microtransmissions, micromirrors, micro actuator (Mechanisms for activating process control e!uipment by use of pneumatic, hydraulic, or electronic signals) optical scanners, fluid pumps, transducer, pressure and flow sensors. %ew applications are emerging as the e isting technology is applied to the miniaturization and integration of conventional devices. These systems can sense, control, and activate mechanical processes on the micro scale, and function individually or in arrays to generate effects on the macro scale. The micro fabrication technology enables fabrication of large arrays of devices, which individually perform simple tas"s, but in combination can accomplish complicated functions. MEMS are not about any one application or device, nor are they defined by a single fabrication process or limited to a few materials. They are a fabrication approach that conveys the advantages of miniaturization, multiple components, and microelectronics to the design and construction of integrated electromechanical systems. MEMS are not only about miniaturization of mechanical systems& they are also a new paradigm for designing mechanical devices and systems. The MEMS industry has an estimated '() billion mar"et, and with a pro#ected ()$*)+ annual growth 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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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 away parts of the silicon wafer or add new 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 with 7eyes7 and 7arms7, to allow 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 low cost.
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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 few millimeters across, with 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 new 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 low aspect ratios (typically 9 $() micro meters thic"). 0t is important to note that there are several evolving fabrication techni!ues that allow higher aspect ratios such as deep $ray lithography, electrodeposition, and micro in#ection molding.

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MEMS devices are typically fabricated onto a substrate (chip) that may also contain the electronics re!uired to interact with 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 power supplies, capacitance charge comparators, and signal conditioning circuitry. 6onnection with the macroscopic world is via wire bonding and encapsulation into familiar .;8, M6M, surface mount, or leaded 06 pac"ages.

8 common MEMS actuator is the 7linear comb drive7 (shown above) which consists of rows 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 away 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 (low 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 wheel. 0n this manner the comb drive can rotate the wheel in the same way a steam engine functions>

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SECTION 2

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The invention of the at .ell Telephone ?aboratories in (4-@ spar"ed a fast$growing microelectronic technology. 2ac" Ailby of Te as 0nstruments built the first 0ntegrated circuit in (49B using germanium (;e) devices. 0t consisted of one transistor, three Cesistors, and one 6apacitor. The 06 was implemented on a sliver of ;e that was glued on a glass slide. ?ater that same year Cobert %oyce of 1airchild Semiconductor announced the development of a Dlanar double$diffused Si 06. The complete transition from the original ;e transistors with grown and alloyed #unctions to silicon (Si) planar double$diffused devices too" about () years. The success of Si as an electronic material was due partly to its wide availability from silicon dio ide (Si<*$sand), resulting in potentially lower material costs relative to other Semiconductors Since (4@), the comple ity of 06s has doubled every two 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$integration (E?S0) technology enables the fabrication of more than () million transistors and capacitors on a typical chip. 06 fabrication is dependent upon sensors to provide input from the surrounding environment, #ust as control systems need actuators in order to carry out their desired functions. /ue to the availability of sand as a material, much effort was put into developing Si processing and characterization tools. These tools are now being used to advance transducer technology. TodayFs 06 technology far outstrips the original sensors and actuators in performance, size, and cost. 8ttention in this area was first focused on microsensor development. The first microsensor, which has also been the most successful, was the Si pressure sensor. 0n (49- it was discovered that the piezoresistive effect in ;e and Si had the potential to produce ;e and Si strain gauges with a gauge factor () to *) times greater than those based on metal films. 8s a result, Si strain gauges began to be developed commercially in (49B. The first high$volume pressure sensor was 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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included the utilization of ion implantation for improved control of the piezoresistor fabrication. Si pressure sensors are now a billion$dollar industry. 8round (4B*, the term micromachining came into use to designate the fabrication of micromechanical parts for Si microsensors. The micromechanical parts were fabricated by selectively etching areas of the Si substrate away in order to leave behind the desired geometries. 0sotropic etching of Si was developed in the early (4G)s for transistor fabrication. 8nisotropic etching of Si then came about in (4G@. Harious etch$stop techni!ues were subse!uently developed to provide further process fle ibility. These techni!ues also form the basis of the bul" micromachining processing techni!ues. .ul" micromachining designates the point at which the bul" of the Si substrate is etched away to leave behind the desired micromechanical elements. .ul" micromachining has remained a powerful techni!ue for the fabrication of micromechanical elements. :owever, the need for fle ibility in device design and performance improvement has motivated the development of new concepts and techni!ues for micromachining. 8mong these is the sacrificial layer techni!ue, first demonstrated in (4G9 by %athanson and 5ic"strom, in which a layer of material is deposited between structural layers for mechanical separation and isolation. This layer is removed during the release etch to free the structural layers and to allow mechanical devices to move relative to the substrate. 8 layer is releasable when 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 which the Si substrate is primarily used as a mechanical support upon which the micromechanical elements are fabricated. Drior to (4B@, these micromechanical structures were limited in motion. /uring (4B@$(4BB, a turning point was reached in micromachining when, for the first time, techni!ues for integrated fabrication of mechanisms on Si were demonstrated. /uring a series of three separate wor"shops on microdynamics held in (4B@, the term MEMS was coined. E!uivalent terms for MEMS are microsystems$preferred in Europe and micromachines$preferred in 2apan.

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SECTION 3

MEMS DESCRIPTION

MEMS technology can be implemented using a number of different materials and manufacturing techni!ues& the choice of which will depend on the device being created and the mar"et sector in which 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 wide variety of MEMS applications. Silicon also has significant advantages engendered through its material properties. 0n single crystal form, silicon is an almost perfect :oo"ean material, meaning that when it is fle ed there is virtually no 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, with 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 well suited to microfluidic applications such as disposable blood testing cartridges.

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, when used within 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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SECTION 4

MEMS DESIGN PROCESS

There are three basic building bloc"s in MEMS technology, which are, 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 we assume a thin film to have a thic"ness anywhere between a few nanometers to about ()) micrometer MEMS deposition technology can be classified in two 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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These processes e ploit the creation of solid materials directly from chemical reactions in gas and=or li!uid compositions or with 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 words, there is no chemical reaction which forms the material on the substrate. This is not completely correct for casting processes, though it is more convenient to thin" of them that way. This is by no means an e haustive list since technologies evolve continuously.

SECTION 4.1.1

CHEMICAL ,APOR DEPOSITION -C,D.

0n this process, the substrate is placed inside a reactor to which a number of gases are supplied. The fundamental principle of the process is that a chemical reaction ta"es place between the source gases. The product of that reaction is a solid material with condenses on all surfaces inside the reactor. The two most important 6H/ technologies in MEMS are the Low Pressure 6H/ (?D6H/) and Plasma Enhanced 6H/ (DE6H/). The ?D6H/ process produces layers with e cellent uniformity of thic"ness and material characteristics. The main problems with the process are the high deposition temperature (higher than G))I6) and the relatively slow deposition rate. The DE6H/ process can operate at lower temperatures (down to ,))I 6) than"s to the e tra energy supplied to the gas molecules by the plasma in the reactor. :owever, 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 wafers on ( to wafers at a time. ?D6H/ systems deposit films on both sides of at least *9 wafers at a time. 8 schematic diagram of a typical ?D6H/ reactor is shown in the figure below.

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

WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE C,D?

6H/ processes are ideal to use when you want a thin film with good step coverage. 8 variety of materials can be deposited with this technology& however, some of them are less popular with fabs because of hazardous by$products formed during processing. The !uality of the material varies from process to process, however a good rule of thumb is that higher process temperature yields a material with higher !uality and less defects. ELECTRODEPOSITION This process is also "nown as 7electroplating7 and is typically restricted to electrically conductive materials. There are basically two 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 between 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 which deposition happens spontaneously on any surface which forms a sufficiently high electrochemical potential with 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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during processing. Enfortunately, it is also more difficult to control with regards to film thic"ness and uniformity. 8 schematic diagram of a typical setup for electroplating is shown in the figure below. WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE ELECTRODEPOSITION? The electrodeposition process is well suited to ma"e films of metals such as copper, gold and nic"el. The films can be made in any thic"ness from J(Km to L())Km. The deposition is best controlled when used with an e ternal electrical potential, however, it re!uires electrical contact to the substrate when 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 what happens in 6H/ processes, however, if the substrate is an ordered semiconductor crystal (i.e. silicon, gallium arsenide), it is possible with this process to continue building on the substrate with the same crystallographic orientation with the substrate acting as a seed for the deposition. 0f an amorphous=polycrystalline substrate surface is used, the film will also be amorphous or polycrystalline.

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There are several technologies for creating the conditions inside a reactor needed to support epita ial growth, of which the most important is ,apor Phase Epita y (HDE). 0n this process, a number of gases are introduced in an induction heated reactor where 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 deposited. 8n advantage of epita y is the high growth rate of material, which allows the formation of films with considerable thic"ness (L())Km). Epita y is a widely 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 shown in the figure below.

/!'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 with thic"nesses of J(Km to L())Km. Some processes re!uire high temperature e posure of the substrate, whereas 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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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 which actually consumes some of the substrate as it proceeds. The growth of the film is spurned by diffusion of o ygen into the substrate, which means the film growth is actually downwards 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 between 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 wafer o idation furnace is shown in the figure below. WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE THERMAL O2IDATION? 5henever you can> This is a simple process, which unfortunately produces films with somewhat 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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SECTION 4.1.2

PHYSICAL ,APOR DEPOSITION -P,D.

DH/ covers a number of deposition technologies in which material is released from a source and transferred to the substrate. The two most important technologies are evaporation and sputtering. WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE P,D? DH/ comprises the standard technologies for deposition of metals. 0t is far more common than 6H/ for metals since it can be performed at lower process ris" and cheaper in regards to materials cost. The !uality of the films are inferior to 6H/, which 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 what technology is available for the specific material at the time. E,APORATION 0n evaporation the substrate is placed inside a vacuum chamber, in which a bloc" (source) of the material to be deposited is also located. The source material is then heated to the point where it starts to boil and evaporate. The vacuum is re!uired to allow the molecules to evaporate freely in the chamber, and they 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 two popular evaporation technologies, which 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 with a high current to ma"e the material evaporate. Many materials are restrictive in terms of what evaporation method can be used (i.e. aluminum is !uite difficult to evaporate using resistive heating), which typically relates to the phase transition properties of that material. 8 schematic diagram of a typical system for e$ beam evaporation is shown in the figure below.

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/!'0$e 31 Typical system for e-beam evaporation of materials. SPUTTERING Sputtering is a technology in which the material is released from the source at much lower temperature than evaporation. The substrate is placed in a vacuum chamber with the source material, named a target, and an inert gas (such as argon) is introduced at low pressure. ;as plasma is struc" using an C1 power source, causing the gas to become ionized. The ions are accelerated towards 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 which the ion bombardment of the target is realized. 8 schematic diagram of a typical C1 sputtering system is shown in the figure below.

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

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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, which may be easily dissolved in organic 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 way 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 below. WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE CASTING? 6asting is a simple technology which 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 within M=$()+ in a wide range. 0f you are planning to use photolithography you will be using casting, which is an integral part of that technology. There are also other interesting materials such as polyimide and spin$on glass which can be applied by casting.

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

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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 when e posed to a radiation source. 0f we 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 shown in figure ().

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

This discussion will focus on optical lithography, which is simply lithography using a radiation source with wavelength(s) in the visible spectrum.
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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 wavelength, the chemical 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 will etch away one of the two regions (e posed or une posed). 0f the e posed material is etched away by the developer and the une posed region is resilient, the material is considered to be a positive resist (shown in figure *a). 0f the e posed material is resilient to the developer and the une posed region is etched away, it is considered to be a negative resist (shown in figure *b).

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

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?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. :owever, as the techni!ue is capable of producing fine features in an economic fashion, a photosensitive layer is often used as a temporary mas" when etching an underlying layer, so that the pattern may be transferred to the underlying layer (shown in figure ,a). Dhotoresist may also be used as a template for patterning material deposited after lithography (shown in figure ,b). The resist is subse!uently etched away, 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 with most MEMS deposition processes, usually because it cannot withstand high temperatures and may act as a source of contamination.

/!'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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<nce the pattern has been transferred to another layer, the resist is usually stripped. This is often necessary as the resist may be incompatible with further micromachining steps. 0t also ma"es the topography more dramatic, which may hamper further lithography steps.

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 wafer usually includes a set of alignment mar"s, which are high precision features that are used as the reference when positioning subse!uent patterns, to the first pattern (as shown 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 wafer to be labeled so it may be identified, and for each pattern to specify the alignment mar" to which it should be aligned.

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

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/epending on the lithography e!uipment used, the feature on the mas" used for registration of the mas" may be transferred to the wafer. 0n this case, it may be important to locate the alignment mar"s such that they donFt effect subse!uent wafer processing or device performance. 1or e ample, the alignment mar" shown in figure G will cease to e ist after a through the wafer /C0E etch. Dattern transfer of the mas" alignment features to the wafer may obliterate the alignment features on the wafer. 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 wafer, so there will 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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/!'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 wafer, as the e!uipment used to perform alignment may have limited travel and therefore only be able to align to features located within a certain region on the wafer (as shown in figure @). The region location geometry and size may also vary with 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 two alignment mar"s are used to align the mas" and wafer, one alignment mar" is sufficient to align the mas" and wafer in and y, but it re!uires two mar"s (preferably spaced far apart) to correct for fine offset in rotation. 8s there is no pattern on the wafer for the first pattern to align to, the first pattern is typically aligned to the primary wafer flat (as shown in figure B). /epending on the lithography e!uipment used, this may be done automatically, or by manual alignment to an e plicit wafer registration feature on the mas"

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/!'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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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 wavelength 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 wavelengths. The dose re!uired per unit volume of photoresist for good pattern transfer is somewhat constant& however, 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 well as the reflected radiation. The dose will also vary with resist thic"ness. There are also higher order effects, such as interference patterns in thic" resist films on reflective substrates, which may affect the pattern transfer !uality and sidewall 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 we are using positive photoresist, this will 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 shown in figure 4). 0f we 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 will be similar to those for overe posure with the results reversed for the different polarities of resist. 0f the surface being e posed is not flat, the high$resolution image of the mas" on the wafer may be distorted by the loss of focus of the image across the varying topography. This is one of the limiting factors of MEMS lithography when high aspect ratio features are present. :igh aspect ratio features also e perience problems with obtaining even resist thic"ness coating, which further degrades pattern transfer and complicates the associated processing.
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/!'0$e 71 *ver and under-exposure of positive resist.

SECTION 4.2.4

THE LITHOGRAPHY MODULE

Typically lithography is performed as part of a well$characterized module, which includes the wafer surface preparation, photoresist deposition, alignment of the mas" and wafer, 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 sidewall profile.

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8 brief e planation of the standard process steps included in a lithography module is (in se!uence)3

Dehydration bake $ dehydrate the wafer to aid resist adhesion. HMDS prime $ coating of wafer surface with adhesion promoter. Resist spin/spray $ coating of the wafer with 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 wafers. 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 wet 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 few assumptions about photolithography. 1irstly, we assume

that a well characterized module e ists that3 prepares the wafer surface, deposits the re!uisite resist thic"ness, aligns the mas" perfectly, e poses the wafer with 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 aware of certain limitations of lithography, as well 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 which 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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with high topography, which 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 two classes of etching processes3 (. 5et etching where the material is dissolved when immersed in a chemical solution *. /ry etching where the material is sputtered or dissolved using reactive ions or a vapor phase etchant

SECTION 4.3.1

WET ETCHING

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

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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 sidewalls that appear when etching a hole in a N())L silicon wafer in a chemical such as potassium hydro ide (A<:). The result is a pyramid shaped hole instead of a hole with rounded sidewalls with a isotropic etchant. The principle of anisotropic and isotropic wet etching is illustrated in the figure below.

WHEN DO WE WANT TO USE WET ETCHING?

This is a simple technology, which will give good results if you can find the combination of etchant and mas" material to suit your application. 5et etching wor"s very well for etching thin films on substrates, and can also be used to etch the substrate itself. The problem with substrate etching is that isotropic processes will cause undercutting of the mas" layer by the same distance as the etch depth. 8nisotropic processes allow 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 surface when etching holes or cavities. 0f this is a limitation for you, you should consider dry etching of the substrate instead. :owever, "eep in mind that the cost per wafer will 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 with isotropic wet etching, since the undercutting will be at least e!ual to the film thic"ness. 5ith dry etching it is possible etch almost straight down without undercutting, which provides much higher resolution.

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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 which several gases are introduced. Dlasma is struc" in the gas mi ture using an C1 power source, brea"ing the gas molecules into ions. The ion is accelerated towards, and reacts at, the surface of the material being etched, forming another gaseous material. This is "nown as the chemical part of reactive ion etching. There is also a physical part which is similar in nature to the sputtering deposition process. 0f the ions have high enough energy, they can "noc" atoms out of the material to be etched without 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 sidewalls that have shapes from rounded to vertical. 8 schematic of a typical reactive ion etching system is shown in the figure below. 8 special subclass of C0E which continues to grow rapidly in popularity is deep C0E (/C0E). 0n this process, etch depths of hundreds of microns can be achieved with almost vertical sidewalls. The primary technology is based on the so$ called 7.osch process7, named after the ;erman company Cobert .osch which filed the original patent, where two different gas compositions are alternated in the reactor.

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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 away by the physical part of the etching, but only on the horizontal surfaces and not the sidewalls. Since the polymer only dissolves very slowly in the chemical part of the etching, it builds up on the sidewalls 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 ,$- times higher than wet etching. Sputter etching is essentially C0E without reactive ions. The systems used are very similar in principle to sputtering deposition systems. The big difference is that substrate is now sub#ected to the ion bombardment instead of the material target used in sputter deposition. Hapor phase etching is another dry etching method, which can be done with simpler e!uipment than what C0E re!uires. 0n this process the wafer to be etched is placed inside a chamber, in which one or more gases are introduced. The material to be etched is dissolved at the surface in a chemical reaction with the gas molecules. The two most common vapor phase etching technologies are silicon dio ide etching using hydrogen fluoride (:1) and silicon etching using enon diflouride (Oe1 *), both of which are isotropic in nature. Esually, care must be ta"en in the design of a vapor phase process to not have bi$products form in the chemical reaction that condense on the surface and interfere with 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 wet etching. 0f you are concerned with feature resolution in thin film structures or you need vertical sidewalls 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 want 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, which comes at a sometimes high cost.

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/!'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"$response devices. Multiplicity refers to the batch fabrication inherent in semiconductor processing, which allows thousands or millions of components to be easily and concurrently fabricated. Microelectronics provides the intelligence to MEMS and allows the monolithic merger of sensors, actuators, and logic to build closed$loop feedbac" components and systems. The successful miniaturization and multiplicity of traditional electronics systems would not have been possible without 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 powerful 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 with electronics to develop high$ performance closed$loop$controlled MEMS. 8dvances in 06 technology in the last decade have brought about corresponding progress in MEMS fabrication processes. Manufacturing processes allow for the monolithic integration of microelectromechanical structures with driving, controlling,

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and signal$processing electronics. This integration promises to improve the performance of micromechanical devices as well 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 wafer is used as the substrate, on which a thin film is grown. The film, which may be epita ial Si, Si< *, silicon nitride (Si,%-), polycrystalline Si, or metal, is used to build both active or passive components and interconnections between circuits. Doping3 To modulate the properties of the device layer, a low 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 "nown as a photoresist. The process of pattern generation and transfer is called photolithography. 8 typical mas" consists of a glass plate coated with a patterned chromium (6r) film. Et hing3 %e t is the selective removal of unwanted 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 wafer is sawed or machined into small s!uares, or dice, from which 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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design is strongly coupled to the pac"aging re!uirements, which in turn are dictated by the application environment.

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 wet$ and dry$etching techni!ues in con#unction with etch mas"s and etch stops to sculpt micromechanical devices from the Si substrate. The two "ey capabilities that ma"e bul" micromachining a viable technology are3 8nisotropic etchants of Si, such as ethylene$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 with 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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,,

8 drawbac" of wet anisotropic etching is that the microstructure geometry is defined by the internal crystalline structure of the substrate. Two additional processing techni!ues have e tended the range of traditional bul" micromachining technology3 deep anisotropic dry etching and wafer bonding. Ceactive gas plasmas can perform deep anisotropic dry etching of Si wafers, up to a depth of a few hundred microns, while maintaining smooth vertical sidewall profiles. The other technology, wafer 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 would not be possible with 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 wafer is used primarily as a mechanical support on which 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 widely used surface micromachining techni!ue, polysilicon surface micromachining, uses Si<* as 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 high$ precision 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 grows polysilicon, silicon nitride, and silicon dio ide films using recipes that minimize time. Enfortunately, a deposition process that is optimized to speed does not always create a low 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 will buc"le. This is highly undesirable. The solution is to modify the film deposition process to control the internal stress by ma"ing it stress$free or slightly tensile.

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8 better way to control the stress in polysilicon is through post annealing, which 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 will not change the mechanical 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.

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, which feature blan"et deposition of the structural material followed 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 wide variety of materials, such as metals, polymers, ceramics, and glasses. Dhotosensitive polyimides

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are also used for fabricating plating molds. The photolithography process is similar to conventional photolithography, e cept that polyimide wor"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 low$ or medium$ volume applications. Some of the obstacles preventing its wider adoption are3

LIMITED OPTIONS
Most companies who wish to e plore the potential of MEMS and %anotechnology have very limited options for prototyping or manufacturing devices, and have no capability or e pertise in microfabrication technology. 1ew companies will build their own 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 with their environment. 6urrently almost all MEMS and %ano development efforts must develop a new and specialized pac"age for each new 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 which allow designers to select from a catalog of e isting standardized pac"ages for a new MEMS device without compromising performance would be beneficial. /ABRICATION KNOWLEDGE RE=UIRED 6urrently the designer of a MEMS device re!uires a high level of fabrication "nowledge 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.

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 within 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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its initial position. This deflection is converted to an electrical signal, which appears at the sensor output. The application of MEMS technology to accelerometers is a relatively new 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 when 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 wide array of applications in consumer, communication, automotive and industrial mar"ets.

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 new intuitive motion$based approach to navigation within and between pages. 0n game controllers, MEMS sensors allow 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
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are used as airbag$deployment sensors in automobiles, and as tilt or shoc" sensors. The application of these accelerometers to inertial measurement ,B

units is limited by the need to manually align and assemble them into three$ a is systems, and by the resulting alignment tolerances, their lac" of in$ chip analog$to$digital conversion circuitry, and their lower limit of sensitivity

sensitivity

MICROENGINES
8 three$level polysilicon micromachining process has enabled the fabrication of devices with increased degrees of comple ity. The process includes three movable levels of polysilicon, each separated by a sacrificial o ide layer, plus a stationary level. Microengines can be used to drive the wheels of microcombination loc"s. They can also be used in combination with a microtransmission to drive a pop$ up mirror out of a plane. This device is "nown as a micromirror.

SOME OTHER COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS INCLUDE1

0n"#et printers, which use piezoelectrics or thermal bubble e#ection to deposit in" on paper.

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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 yaw& 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 switching technology which is used for switching 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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MEMS 06 fabrication technologies have also allowed 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 with a height of *$() microns, made using silicon and glass substrates

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 "nowledge is needed to integrate MEMS devices

0mproved reproducibility 0mproved accuracy and reliability

0ncreased selectivity and sensitivity

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SECTION 6

THE /UTURE

Each of the three basic microsystems technology processes we have seen, bul" micromachining, sacrificial surface micromachining, and micromolding=?0;8, employs a different set of capital and intellectual resources. MEMS manufacturing firms must choose which specific microsystems manufacturing techni!ues to invest in. MEMS technology has the potential to change our daily lives as much as the computer has. :owever, 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 new MEMS materials. 1uture MEMS applications will be driven by processes enabling greater functionality through higher levels of electronic$mechanical integration and greater numbers of mechanical components wor"ing alone or together to enable a comple action. 1uture MEMS products will demand higher levels of electrical$mechanical integration and more intimate interaction with the physical world. The high up$front investment costs for large$volume commercialization of MEMS will li"ely limit the initial involvement to larger companies in the 06 industry. 8dvancing from their success as sensors, MEMS products will be embedded in larger non$MEMS systems, such as printers, automobiles, and biomedical diagnostic e!uipment, and will enable new and improved systems.

HOW THE MEMS AND NANO E2CHANGE CAN HELP?

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

5e ma"e a diverse catalog of processing capabilities available to our users, so our users can e periment with different fabrication technologies. <ur users donFt have to build their own fabrication facilities, and

<ur web$based interface lets users assemble process se!uences and submit them for review by the MEMS and %anotechnology E changeFs engineers and fabrication sites.

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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 MEMS$ based technology. 0n addition to accelerometers and gyroscopes, micro$sized tire pressure systems are now standard issues in new vehicles, putting MEMS pressure sensors in high demand. Such micro$sized pressure sensors can be used by physicians and surgeons in a telemetry system to measure blood pressure at a stet, allowing 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, wireless technology, biotechnology, computer, automotive and aerospace industries are only a few that will benefit greatly from MEMS. This enabling technology allowing the development of smart products, augmenting the computational ability of microelectronics with the perception and control capabilities of microsensors and microactuators and e panding the 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 low cost.

MEMS promises to revolutionize nearly every product category by bringing together silicon$based microelectronics with micromachining technology, ma"ing possible the realization of complete ) "e* >o#>(>%&!p.

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MEMS will be the indispensable factor for advancing technology in the *(st century and it promises to create entirely new 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.

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MEMS DEPOSITION TECHNOLOGY

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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

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

RE/ERENCES

Q .S86 http3==www$bsac.eecs.ber"eley.edu= Q /8CD8 MT< http3==www.darpa.mil=mto= Q 0EEE E plore http3==ieee plore.ieee.org=Oplore=/yn5el.#sp Q 0ntroduction to Microengineering http3==www.dban"s.demon.co.u"=ueng= Q MEMS 6learinghouse http3==www.memsnet.org= Q MEMS E change http3==www.mems$e change.org= Q MEMS 0ndustry ;roup http3==www.memsindustrygroup.org= Q M<S0S http3==www.mosis.org= Q MEMDS http3==www.memscap.com=memsrus=crmumps.html Q Stanford 6entre for 0ntegrated Systems http3==www$cis.stanford.edu= Q ESDT< http3==www.uspto.gov= Q Trimmer http3==www.trimmer.net= Q Pole /evelopment http3==www.yole.fr=pages8n=accueil.asp

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

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Q Micromachine /evices Q Sensors Magazine

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