MEMS: An introduction
Virginia Chu
INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias
Lisbon, Portugal
www.inesc-mn.pt;
Email: vchu@inesc-mn.pt
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Outline
Introduction
Applications
Passive structures
Sensors
Actuators
Future Applications
Summary Part I
MEMS processing technologies
Bulk micromachining
Surface micromachining
LIGA
Wafer bonding
MEMS resources
Conclusions
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Applications: Sensors
Pressure sensor:
Piezoresistive sensing
Capacitive sensing
Resonant sensing
Application examples:
Manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor
Disposable blood pressure sensor
(Novasensor)
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p+ Si
<100> Si
substrate
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Applications: Sensors
Inertial sensors
Acceleration
Air bag crash sensing
Seat belt tension
Automobile suspension control
Human activity for pacemaker control
Vibration
Engine management
Security devices
Monitoring of seismic activity
Angle of inclination
Vehicle stability and roll
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Accelerometers
Static deformation:
Spring
F=kx
d static
Damping
F=Dv
Inertial mass
F=Ma
F Ma
k
k
Dynamic behavior
d 2x
dx
M 2 D kx Fext Ma
dt
dt
k
Resonance frequency
r
M
r M Quality factor
Q
D
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Accelerometers
Accelerometer parameters
acceleration range (G) (1G=9.81 m/s2)
sensitivity (V/G)
resolution (G)
bandwidth (Hz)
cross axis sensitivity
Application
Range
Bandwidth
50 G
~ 1 kHz
Engine vibration
1G
> 10 kHz
2G
< 50 Hz
Comment
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Capacitive Accelerometers
Anchor to
substrate
Spring
Displacement
Inertial Mass
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Applications: Actuators
Texas Instruments Digital Micromirror DeviceTM
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MEMS !
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Summary: Applications
Passive structures
Microreservoirs (injet printer nozzle)
Micro-channels (microfluidics)
Sensors
Pressure sensors
Inertial sensors
Actuators
Digital micromirrors (projection)
Gears, transmissions, motors, pumps, valves
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Outline
Introduction
Applications
Passive structures
Sensors
Actuators
Future Applications
Summary Part I
MEMS processing technologies
Bulk micromachining
Surface micromachining
LIGA
Wafer bonding
MEMS resources
Conclusions
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Deposition
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD/PECVD/LPCVD)
Epitaxy
Oxidation
Evaporation
Sputtering
Spin-on methods
Etching
Wet chemical etching
Istropic
Anisotropic
Dry etching
Plasma etch
Reactive Ion etch (RIE, DRIE)
Patterning
Optical lithography
X-ray lithography
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Bulk micromachining
Anisotropic etching of silicon
Etchant
retch 100
retch 111
Potassium Hydroxide
(KOH)
Tetramethyl ammonium
hydroxide
(TMAH)
Ethylenediamine
pyrochatechol
(EDP)
Selectivity to
p+- Si
100
Yes
30-50
yes
35
Yes
Disadvantages
-Highly corrosive
-Not CMOS compatible
-formation of pyramidal
hillocks at bottom of cavity
-carcinogenic vapors
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Bulk micromachining
Anisotropic etch of {100} Si
111
a
0.707a
54.74
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Piezoresistive elements
SiO2
p+ Si
<100> Si
substrate
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Surface Micromachining
substrate
Important issues:
selectivity of structural, sacrificial and substrate materials
stress of structural material
stiction
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Surface Micromachining
Most commonly used materials for surface micromachining:
substrate:
silicon
SiO2 or phosphosilicate glass (PSG)
sacrificial material:
structural material:
polysilicon
Alternative materials
Substrates
Sacrificial
Structural
Glass
Plastic
metals
Polymer
Metals
silicon nitride
Surface Micromachining
Stress
Polysilicon deposited by LPCVD (T~600 C) usually has large stress
High T anneal (600-1000 C) for more than 2 hours relaxes the strain
Low temperature, thin film materials has much less intrinsic stress
Photo from R.T. Howe, Univ. of Calif, Berkeley, 1988
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Surface Micromachining
Stiction
Surface tension of liquid during evaporation results in capillary forces that
causes the structures to stick to the substrate if the structures are not stiff
enough.
Remove mold
Immerse in chemical bath and
electroplate the metal
Expose and develop photoresist
Deposit photoresist
Deposit plating base
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LIGA
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+ + ++ + +
current
Na+
- - - - - -
SiO2
p+ Si
<100> Si
glass
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Outline
Introduction
Applications
Passive structures
Sensors
Actuators
Future Applications
Summary Part I
MEMS processing technologies
Bulk micromachining
Surface micromachining
LIGA
Wafer bonding
MEMS resources
Conclusions
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Thin-film MEMS
Thin films allows:
Low-temperature processing
Large area, low cost, flexible or biocompatible
substrates
Possibility to integrate with a CMOS or thin film
electronics based back plane
Control of structural material film properties
(mechanical, electronic, optical and surface)
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Electrostatic Actuation
Optical detection
Deflection (normalized)
Resonance frequency
300 nm a-Si:H / 100 nm Al 10 m-wide bridges
decreasing length
45 m 30 m 25 m 20 m 18m 15 m 12 m 10m
1.0
3.52 EI
f r 2
2L A
0.5
1/ 2
0.0
0
10
15
20
Frequency (MHz)
25
Dependence of Q on Pressure
1.0
Quality Factor,
Norm. Deflection,T/res
0.5
0.0
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1
1.2
Frequency, f (MHz)
10
10
10
10
10
10
glass substrate
Extrinsic
Region
Region
10
-7
10
-5
10
-3
10
-1
10
10
Pressure, P (Torr)
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M+M
k
M
M 1
M
Q
Typically, Mbridge~ 10-9 g
Using strands with 15-17 bp and a concentration
of 200 pmol/cm2 Moligo~ 10-12 g
M
10 3
Q 1000
M
Qair~100
Increase DNA length
Change bridge geometry
Measure in vacuum
Design to increase Q
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MEMS Resources
Reference Books
Nadim Maluf, An Introduction to Microelectromechanical Engineering (Artech House, Boston,2000)
M. Elewenspoek and R. Wiegerink, Mechanical Microsensors (Springer-Verlag, 2001)
Hctor J. De Los Santos, Introduction to Microelectromechanical (MEM) Microwave Systems (Artech
House, Boston, 1999)
Websites
Sandia National Lab: http://mems.sandia.gov
Berkeley Sensors and Actuators Center: http://www-bsac.eecs.berkeley.edu
MEMS Clearinghouse: http://www.memsnet.org/
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