IV B.

Tech EIE, VIII Semester

GST, GITAM University, Hyderabad.
S.No Topics to be Covered Lectures
UNIT – 1 – INTRODUCTION
1 History of MEMS, Overview of MEMS Processes, Properties of Silicon, A Sample MEMS Process. 1,2

2 Definitions and Terminology, A sample Process, Lithography and Etching. 3

3 Micromachining: Subtractive Processes (Wet and Dry etching), 4,5
4 Additive Processes (Evaporation, Sputtering, Epitaxial growth) 6,7
5 Fundamental Devices and Processes: Basic mechanics and electrostatics for MEMS, parallel plate actuators, pull-in point, 8,9
comb drives.
6 Electrostatic actuators; MEMS foundries 10,11
7 Cronos MUMPs (multi user MEMS process) 12
UNIT – 2 – MUMPs (Multi User MEMS Process)
8 JDS Uniphase MUMPs processing sequence and design rules. 13,14
9 Design rules; applications; 15,16
10 Micro hinges 17
11 Deployment actuators. 18
12 CMOS MEMS: CMOS foundry processes, 19
13 integrated IC/MEMS, 20
14 MEMS postprocessing, applications. 21,22
UNIT –3 – Thermal Transducers
15 Bimorphs, “heatuators”, cilia arrays. 23,24,25
16 MicroOptoElectroMechanical Systems (MOEMS): Micro Scanners, Digital Mirror Display, Retinal Scanning Display. 26,27

17 Grating light valve, 28

18 Coroner cube retroreflector, optical switches, other micro-optical devices 29-30
19 Piezoresistivity; Scanning Probe Microscopy: scanning tunneling microscope (STM), 31,32
20 Atomic force microscope (AFM)(3 Hrs) 33
UNIT – 4 – Wireless MEMS
21 Mechanical and electrical resonators 34
22 Q-factor, switches, filters 35-36
23 Power for MEMS: thin film batteries, micro fuel cells, energy fields, MEMS 37-38
24 Packaging and Assembly: microassembly: serial and parallel, deterministic and stochastic; microgrippers: HexSil process; 39-40
packaging techniques
UNIT-5- The future of MEMS
25 Biomems – neural implants, gene chips, diagnostic chips; 41
29 MEMS in space; mechanical computers; 42
30 Invisible and ubiquitous computing 43
31 Revision 44-45
Text Books:
 1. Fundamentals of Microfabrication: The Science of
Miniaturization, Second Edition ISBN: 0849308267,
CRC Press, 1997 by Marc J Madou
 2. MEMS a Practical Guide of Design, Analysis, and
Applications Korvink, Jan, Paul, Oliver 2006.
 3. Mechanics of Microelectromechanical Systems
Lobontiu, Nicolae, Garcia, Ephrahim 2004.
 4. MEMS & Microsystems TMGH 2002 by Tai-ran Hsu
 5. Microsensors, MEMS & Smart Devices John Wiley
2002 by JW Gardner & VK Varadan
UNIT – 1 – INTRODUCTION
 History of MEMS, Overview of MEMS Processes, Properties of Silicon, A Sample MEMS Process.

 Definitions and Terminology, A sample Process, Lithography and Etching.

 Micromachining: Subtractive Processes (Wet and Dry etching),

 Additive Processes (Evaporation, Sputtering, Epitaxial growth)

 Fundamental Devices and Processes: Basic mechanics and electrostatics for MEMS, parallel plate
actuators, pull-in point, comb drives.

 Electrostatic actuators; MEMS foundriesm,Cronos MUMPs (multi user MEMS process)

MEMS
 What are MEMS?

Acronym for micro-electro-mechanical systems.

Micro: Small size. The basic unit of measure is the micrometer or micron
(μm)

1 μm = 10-6 m
Electro: MEMS have electrical components

Mechanical: MEMS have moving parts

Systems: Refers to integration of components.

 A brief history of MEMS
 1750s first electrostatic motors (Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Gordon)
 1824 Silicon discovered (Berzelius)
 1927 Field effect transistor patented (Lilienfield)
 1947 invention of the transistor (made from germanium)
 1954 Smith, C.S., "Piezoresistive effect in Germanium and Silicon, Physical Review,
 1958 silicon strain gauges commercially available
 1961 first silicon pressure sensor demonstrated (Kulite)
 1967 Invention of surface micromachining (Nathanson, Resonant Gate Transistor)
 1970 first silicon accelerometer demonstrated (Kulite)
 1977 first capacitive pressure sensor (Stanford)
 1980 Petersen, K.E., "Silicon Torsional Scanning Mirror", IBM J. R&D, v24, p631,
1980.
 1982 disposable blood pressure transducer (Foxboro/ICT, Honeywell, $40)
 1982 active on-chip signal conditioning
 1984? First polysilicon MEMS device (Howe, Muller )
 1988 Rotary electrostatic side drive motors (Fan, Tai, Muller)
 1989 Lateral comb drive (Tang, Nguyen, Howe)
 1991 polysilicon hinge (Pister, Judy, Burgett, Fearing)
 1992 Grating light modulator (Solgaard, Sandejas, Bloom)
 1992 MCNC starts MUMPS
 1993 first surface micromachined accelerometer sold (Analog Devices, ADXL50)
 1994 XeF2 used for MEMS
History
Early Semiconductor Fabrication

J. Bardeen, W.H. Brattain, “The first transistor, a semiconductor

triode”, Phys. Rev., 74, 230 (1948).
Intel
133 MHz
Pentium
Processor
3.3 million transistors
0.35 micron lithography
4 layer metalization
First silicon: May 1995
 Example - Inertial MEMS

Mechanical
component

Signal
Processing
Integrated Silicon
electronics substrate

Integrated mechanical and electrical components

Smart microsensor systems

 Scales and Dimensions - MEMS

MEMS

10-6 10-5 10-4 10-3 10-2 10-1 10-0 10-1

Human hair Silicon die

Pollen (f 80-100mm) (5 x 5 mm)
Examples of MEMS

You can find MEMS in

• Automobiles (Air bag sensors)

• Computer printers (Ink jet print heads)
• Cell phones (RF devices)
• Lab-on-a-chip (Microfluidics)
• Optical devices (Micromirrors)
• Lots of other things
MEMS accelerometer

MEMS
accelerometers
are used widely
to deploy
airbags.
MEMS accelerometer

Most accelerometers use electrical capacitance to sense

acceleration.

Se llama “comb
structure
(estructura de
peine)

Adapted from Microsystem Design by Stephen

Senturia, Springer
Ink jet print heads

Ink dots are tiny

(10-30 per mm)
and so are the
nozzles that fire
them.
Micromirrors

Micromirrors are used as

optical switches and even
computer displays
Why go micro?

What are some reasons that you

would want to make micro-sized
devices?

• Micro devices are minimally invasive and can be

treated as disposable. (Especially good for chemical
and medical applications.)

• Many physical phenomena are favored at small scales.

How are MEMS made?

• Many techniques borrowed from integrated circuit

(IC) fabrication
- Silicon wafers are commonly used
- Bulk micromachining
• Surface micromachining
• Other techniques
How are MEMS made?

Bulk micromachining example -

A diaphragm for a pressure sensor

Membrane is
piezoresistive; i.e., the
electrical resistance
changes with
deformation.

Adapted from MEMS: A Practical Guide to Design, Analysis, and

Applications, Ed. Jan G. Korvink and Oliver Paul, Springer, 2006
Bulk micromachining

Bulk micromachining example -

A diaphragm for a pressure sensor

Mask GrowSiO2
SiO
chemically
2
etched with
HFl

Unexpo
sed Silicon Opaque
resist anisotropica region
Silicon
remove lly etched
Glas wafer
with KOH Spin on
s d Unexposed photoresist
photoresist
plate removed by developer
Surface micromachining

Surface micromachining
example –
Creating a cantilever
Deposit aluminum

Deposit polyimide

Remove
Etch part
sacrificial layer
of the
(release)
layer.

Silicon wafer
Surface Micromachining
Mechanical structures formed on the surface of a substrate.
Formed from materials deposited on the substrate. Most
common method of surface micromachining is known as
Sacrificial Layer Technology. Additive process growing / depositing layers of
materials, patterning and selectively removing them

Structure

Substrate
 Surface Micromachining
Example on silicon:
Poly Si

Silicon

Silicon Nitride Dry etch

Silicon Dioxide

Wet etch
Dry etch
Micromachining

Complicated structures can be

made by combining these
techniques and repeating
Micromachining

Everything has to be very

clean!

http://www.memsnet.org/news/
Fabrication
 IC Fabrication
 Deposition
 Lithography
 Removal
 Bulk micromachining
 Crystal planes
 Anisotropic etching
 Deep Reactive Ion Etching
 Surface micromachining
 Sacrificial etching
 Molding
 Bonding
Process Flow
 Integrated Circuits and MEMS identical
 Process comlexity/yield related to # trips through central loop

Wafers

Deposition Lithography Etch

Chips
Materials
 Metals
 Al, Au, Cu, W, Ni, TiNi, NiFe,
 Insulators
 SiO2 - thermally grown or vapor deposited (CVD)
 Si3N4 - CVD
 Polymers
 The King of Semiconductors: Silicon
 stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum
 single crystal or polycrystalline
 10nm to 10mm
Applications
 Pressure sensors
 Automotive, Medical, Industrial, …
 Accelerometers
 Automotive, Medical, Industrial
 Gyros
 Automotive
 Displays
 TI DMD, SLM GLV
 Fiber optics
 Switches, attenuators, alignment
 RF components
 Relays, filters, tunable passive elements
 Biomedicine
 Drug delivery, DNA sequencing, chemical analysis