Presentation on

MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System)

TECHNOLOGY

MONIKA
(31611235)

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 CONTENT
1. What is MEMS technology
2. Hierarchy of electro mechanical system
3. MEMS subsystem
4. Introduction to MEMS fabrication, assembly and packaging
5. Fabrication process
6. Applications
7. Future trends
8. Challenges
9. References

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 What is MEMS technology?

• Micro-electro-mechanical system is a technology that in its most

general form can be defined as miniaturized mechanical and electro-
mechanical elements that are made using the techniques of micro
fabrication.
• The critical physical dimensions of MEMS devices can vary from
well below one micron to several millimetres.
• Also type of devices can vary from relatively simple structures
having no moving elements to extremely complex
electromechanical systems with multiple moving elements.

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 Hierarchy of Electromechanical system :

Electromechanical systems

Conventional Micro- Nano-

Electromechanical Electromechanical Electromechanical
systems systems systems

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 MEMS Subsystems :

• Functional elements of MEMS are

I. Micro scale actuators

II. Micro scale sensors

III. Microelectronics/ICs

IV. Processor and Memories

V. Interconnection networks

fig.1

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• Micro sensors and micro actuators are appropriately described as
“transducers”.

• Micro sensors typically converts measured mechanical signal into

electrical signal.

• Micro actuators are needed to develop force or torque. e.g. Micro

scale drives, moving mirrors, pumps, valves etc.

fig. 2 MEMS integration

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Introduction to MEMS Fabrication Assembly and
Packaging :

• Two basic components of MEMS and micro engineering are:

I. Microelectronics (to fabricate ICs).

II. Micromachining (to fabricate motion structures).

Assembling and packaging must be automated, and the

Most promising avenues are auto- or self-alignment and

Self Assembly.

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 Fabrication processes :

1. Bulk Micromachining :

It involves the selective removal of the substrate material in order

to realize miniaturized mechanical components. It is mainly
performed by chemical wet etching.

Chemical wet etching : It involves the immersion of the substrate

into a solution of reactive chemical that will etch exposed regions
of the substrate at measurable rates.

Cont. 8
 CHEMICAL
WET ETCHING

ISOTROPIC ANISOTROPIC
WET ETCHING WET ETCHING

Cont. 9
I. Isotropic wet etching : Etch rate does not depend on the
crystallographic orientation of the substrate and the etching
proceeds in all the directions at equal rates.

fig.3

II. Anisotropic etching : Etch rate depends on the crystallographic

orientation of the substrate.
Cont. 10
fig.4 Anisotropic Etching

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2. Surface micromachining :
It involves sequence of steps :

I. The deposition of thin film material to act as temporary

mechanical layer onto which the actual device layer is built.

II. Deposition and patterning of the thin film device layer of

material which is referred to as structural layer.

III. Removal of temporary layer to release the mechanical layer

structure from the constraint of underlying layer, thereby
allowing the structural layer to move.

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fig.5 Surface micromachining

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3. Wafer bonding :

Analogous to welding in macro scale world it involves the joining

of two or more wafers together to create a full wafer stack. Three
type of wafer bondings are there ;

I. Direct or fusion bonding.

II. Field assisted or anodic bonding

III. Bonding using an intermediate layer.

All the bonding method requires substrate that are very flat, smooth

and Clean in order for the wafer bonding to be successful and free

of voids.
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 Applications :

There are numerous possible applications for MEMS and

nanotechnology. Following are some of them.

• Biotechnology :

I. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Microsystems for DNA

amplification and identification.

II. Electroporation .

III. Micro machined Scanning Tunnelling Microscopes(STM).

IV. Biochips for detection of the hazardous chemical and

Cont. 15
Biological agents.

• Medicine : There are wide variety of applications for MEMS in

medicine.

I. Disposable sensors used to monitor blood pressure in IV

lines of patients in intensive care.

II. MEMS pressure sensors are used in hospitals and

ambulances as monitors of a patient’s vital signs,

specifically the patient’s blood pressure.

Cont. 16
III. The MEMS pressure sensors in respiratory monitoring are
used in ventilators to monitor the patient’s breathing.
IV. MEMS pressure sensors are used for eye surgery.
V. MEMS pressure sensors are used in inhalers to
monitor the patient’s breathing cycle and release the
medication at the proper time in the breathing cycle
for optimal effect.
VI. MEMS pressure sensors are used in kidney dialysis to
monitor the inlet and outlet pressures of blood and the
dialysis solution and to regulate the flow rates during the
procedure.

Cont. 17
• Communications : The advent of RF-MEMS
technology. Successful application of RF-MEMS is in resonators
as mechanical filters for communication circuits.

• Inertial Sensing : Some MEMS inertial sensors are

accelerometers and gyroscopes. : High frequency circuits are
benefiting considerably from For example, MEMS
accelerometers have displaced conventional accelerometers for
crash air-bag deployment systems in automobiles.

• Following table is for MEMS applications in various fields:

Cont. 18
 Consumer Medical Communi Aerospace Automati- Other
electronic cation ,Defence ve

Inertial Game Motion Missile Airbags, Seismic

control, hard tracking guidance, vehical exploration,
sensors disk Navigation dynamic robotics,
protection control
Optical Microdisplay Micro Optical Micromirrors
s, autofocus spectrometer switching, in barcode
devices lenses s Tunable readers
filters
RF MEMS Switches in Switches and Switches,
base station tunable relays
capacitor for
RADAR
Micropho Mobile Hearing aids Hands free
phones, calling
nes camcoder
Pressure scuba gears, Blood Flight control Manifold air
Hiking pressure, system, cabin pressure, Tire
sensors altimeters kidney pressure pressure
dialysis
Others Fingerprint Fingerprint
sensors for sensors for
authenticatio authenticatio
n n
Table 1(Applications) 19
 Future trends :

• Small, self sustaining, wireless sensor networks : Need for smaller

and cheaper electronic products, which are energy efficient as well
as able to communicate via wireless with other electronic devices
(smart dust) .

• DNA chips : Future labs-on-chip technology may include

implantable “pharmacy-on-chip” devices.

• Need for small multiparameter instrument s to test air, water blood

etc. for microbiological threats. (For national security purpose) .

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fig. 6 Smart dust fig.7 Lab on chip

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 Challenges:

• Some of the obstacles in MEMS and Nanotechnology devices

includes :

I. Access to fabrication : Most organizations have little or no

internal resources for designing, prototyping or manufacturing
devices.

II. Packaging : Its packaging is more complicated than the IC

packaging due to the diversity of MEMS devices .

Cont. 22
 packaging can often be one of the single most expensive

and time consuming tasks in an overall product development

program.

III. Fabrication knowledge required : Often the development of

even the most mundane MEMS device requires very
specialized skills. Without this expertise and knowledge, at best
device development projects can cost far more and take much
longer. At worst, they can result in failure.

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 References :

1. Sergey Edward Lyshevski, Nano- and Microelectromechanical

Systems, CRC Press 2000, ISBN 0-8493-0916-6.

2. Mohamed Gad-el-Hak, ed., The MEMS Handbook, CRC Press

2001, ISBN 0-8493-0077-0

3. Internet sources:

I. MEMS and Nanotechnology exchange

II. Wikipedia

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THANK YOU

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