MICROELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEM

Gurpreet Singh Gill

Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, India

1. Introduction to MEMS

MEMS stands for Microelectromechanical systems, a manufacturing technology that enables
the development of electromechanical systems using batch fabrication techniques similar to
those used in integrated circuit (IC) design. MEMS integrate mechanical elements, sensors,
actuators and electronics on a silicon substrate using a process technology called micro
fabrication.

MEMS consist of mechanical
microstructures, Microsensor, micro
actuators and microelectronics, all
integrated onto the same silicon chip. This
is shown schematically in Figure 1.
Microsensor detects changes in the
systems environment by measuring
mechanical, thermal, magnetic, chemical
or electromagnetic information or
phenomena. Microelectronics processes
this information and signals the micro
actuators to react and create some form of
changes to the environment


This combination of silicon-based microelectronics and micromachining technology allows
the system to gather and process information, decide on a course of action, as well as control
the surrounding environment, which in turn increases the affordability, functionality and
performance of products using the system. Due to this increase in value, MEMS are expected
to drive the development of "smart" products within the automobile, scientific, consumer
goods, defense and medical industries.

The sensors gather information by measuring mechanical, thermal, biological, chemical,
magnetic and optical signals from the environment. The microelectronic ICs act as the
decision-making piece of the system, by processing the information given by the sensors.
Finally, the actuators help the system respond by moving, pumping, filtering or somehow
controlling the surrounding environment to achieve its purpose.

MEMS devices are very small; their components are usually microscopic. Levers, gears,
pistons, as well as motors and even steam engines have all been fabricated by MEMS
(Figure2). However, MEMS is not just about the miniaturization of mechanical components
or making things out of silicon (in fact, the term MEMS is actually misleading as many
micromachined devices are not mechanical in any sense). MEMS is a manufacturing
technology; a paradigm for designing and creating complex mechanical devices and systems
as well as their integrated electronics using batch fabrication techniques.
Figure 1: Illustration of MEMS components


2. Types of MEMS

Bio-MEMS

Over the past few years some highly innovative products have emerged from bio-MEMS
companies for revolutionary applications that support major societal issues including DNA
sequencing, drug discovery, and water and environmental monitoring. The technology
focuses on micro fluidic systems as well as chemical testing and processing and has enabled
devices and applications such as lab-on-a-chip, chemical sensors, flow controllers, micro
nozzles and micro valves to be produced. Although many devices are still under
development, micro fluidic systems typically contain silicon micromachined pumps, flow
sensors and chemical sensors. They enable fast and relatively convenient manipulation and
analysis of small volumes of liquids, an area of particular interest in home-based medical
applications where patients can use devices to monitor their own conditions, such as blood
and urine analysis.

One of the most recent MEMS micro fluidic devices to emerge from development
laboratories incorporates a Pac-Man like microstructure that interacts with red blood cells.
The ultimate goal of this device is to puncture cells and inject them with DNA, proteins, or
pharmaceuticals to counter biological or chemical attacks, gene imbalances and natural
bacterial or viral infections.

MOEMS:

Optical communications has emerged as the only practical means to address the network
scaling issues created by the tremendous growth in data traffic caused by the rapid rise of the
Internet. Current routing technology slows the information (or bit) flow by transforming
optical signals into electrical information and then back into light before redirecting it. All
optical networks offer far superior throughput capabilities and performance over traditional
electronic systems.

The most significant MOEMS device products include wave-guides, optical switches, cross
connects, multiplexers, filters, modulators, detectors, attenuators and equalizers. Their small
size, low cost, low power consumption, mechanical durability, high accuracy, high switching
Figure 2. (a) A MEMS silicon motor together with a strand of human hair, and (b) the legs of a
spider mite standing on gears from a micro-engine
density and low cost batch processing of these MEMS based devices make them a perfect
solution to the problems of the control and switching of optical signals in telephone networks.
MEMS fabrication processes have reached the stage where mass manufacture of such devices
is now practical. A typical optical switch can cost over $1000, but using MEMS, the same
level of functionality can be achieved for less than a dollar.



Figure 3: Classification of micro system technology

RF MEMS:

RF MEMS is one of the fastest growing areas in commercial MEMS technology. RF MEMS
are designed specifically for electronics in mobiles phones and other wireless
communications applications such as radar, global positioning satellite systems (GPS) and
steerable antennae. MEMS has enabled the performance, reliability and function of these
devices to be increased while driving down their size and cost at the same time.

The technology includes circuit-tuning elements (capacitors/inductors, resonators, filters,
microphones and switches). These low-loss ultra-miniature and highly integrative RF
functions can and will eventually replace classical RF elements and enable a new generation
of RF devices. As it can be seen today, if RF MEMS components continue to replace
traditional components in todays mobile phones, then phones could become extremely small
(the size of wristwatch is not too far away), require little battery power and may even be
cheaper.

3. Application of MEMS

To date, only a handful of MEMS-based devices are being commercialized. This is in fact
quite disheartening given the many research facilities and research personnel involved in this
field. But a closer look will reveal that given the slightly more than 20 years of works done
in this area, it is only recently that the amount of resources involved in the research and
development of MEMS have increased dramatically. This can be seen from the number of
published works and authors from the pioneering years to date. This recent explosion in
interest in the MEMS area could have been, in part, a result of the successful
commercialization of some high profile products like the Bubble Jet Printer Head.


Microsensors

There are quite selections of MEMS-based sensors that have been commercialized. One of
the more common applications of MEMS sensors comes in the form of an accelerometer in
the deployment of safety airbag in car. Some examples of MEMS sensors include (a)
pressure sensors, (b) strain gauges, and (c) accerolometer for the measuring of acceleration
and (d) gyroscope for the measurement of rotation.











The airbag deployment sensor is one of the earliest uses of MEMS sensors in cars. Other
possible use of the MEMS sensors includes the controlling of the amount of vibration on a
car using the accerolometer together with the suspension system. Also by measuring the
rotation of the car with the gyroscope, it is possible to judge whether the driver is losing
control of the car, and hence the deployment of the braking system. Outside the car industry,
the gyroscope can be used to check the rotations of essential machine parts so as to prevent
critical failure. Examples would be in the turbine of engine and power plants.











Optical and micro-Mirrors

The MEMS micro-mirrors can be used in the making of optical sensors and display both of
which involves the controlling and directing of the light band. Today, information is being
transferred to people from electronic devices through display technologies like the Cathode
Ray Tubes (CRTs) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). In the future, MEMS-based Micro-
Mirror array is a likely candidate to replace them as the dominant form of display
technologies. This is due to the low-cost and high performance of the micro-mirrors.
Furthermore, due to the similar processes and facilities used in the fabrication of the MEMS
micro-mirrors, it is relatively easy to incorporate them with their controlling IC chip onto a
single silicon substrate.

Figure 4: A Pressure Sensor with IC integration
Figure 5: An Accelerometer used for activating the Airbag in Cars
An example of a successful MEMS-based Micro-Mirror array comes in the form of the
Digital Mirror Device (DMD) from Texas Instruments. The DMD is a projection system
based on a very large array of micro machined mirrors. These mirrors are integrated with on-
chip CMOS microelectronics which controls the position and operation of the mirrors. A
number of large screen projection systems currently on the market use this DMD chip as the
heart of the system. Other MEMS-based display systems are also under development. Work
is underway at Silicon Light Machines on the development of a new type of MEMS-based
display. Instead of projecting images by tilting mirrors, this technology operates by the
vertical displacement of small diffraction gratings. Each pixel of an image is represented by
an independently controlled diffraction grating.

















Biomedical applications

Another rapidly developing field of MEMS falls under the biomedical category. In this area,
MEMS have the great potential in (a) the Biomedical Instruments and Analysis, and (b)
Implants and Drug Delivery. Miniaturization of surgical and diagnostic instruments are done
for reasons like

(a) Cost reduction,
(b) Less intrusive surgical procedures,
(c) Health concerns,
(d) Reducing amount of test sample needed, e.g. blood,
(e) Speed of diagnosis,
(f) Patient recovery time and,
(g) Ease of usage

Miniaturization of medical instruments is of interest for a number of reasons, dependent on
the application. In the case of surgical instruments, the decreasing size would mean a less
invasive operating procedure for patient, which also would mean a faster rate of recovery for
the patient.

Micro and RF Switches

Figure 6: The Digital Mirror Device the and subsequent product.
MEMS-based devices can also be used to make high performance, high precision switches.
These switches can be used for directing signals and to switch on or off micro devices. One
of the commercialized switches can be found in the Optical industry and was developed in
1999 by Marxer and Sercalo for the directing of signals. One of the main advantages of the
switch comes from its low rate of signal loss.














Micro actuators (micro pumps and micro grippers)

As the name suggested, the MEMS micro-pump is a miniature version of its much larger
cousin. However, the method of pumping fluids and gases can be very different from that of
their macro cousins. Some of the more interesting pumping methods are (a) using bubble, (b)
using sound waves and (c) thermal expansion of the fluid. An example of a highly successful
MEMS-based pump comes in the form of the Ink Jet Print Head.


















These devices comprised of an array of MEMS-based heater elements that are positioned in
small ink well, behind simple orifices. When the heater is turned on, a bubble is formed in
the ink, which shoots ink through the orifice. The accurate positioning of the bubble can be
achieved by the positioning of the heater element

Figure 7: The Marxer and Sercalo Optical Switch
Orifice

Orifice Plate

Barrier

Heater

Substrate

Refill

Figure 8: An Example of the Ink Jet Printer
Today, MEMS-based technology is still far from producing micro robots which can do
surgery in the human body, or several inches sized silicon satellites. This is partially because
while micromachining fabrication has already progressed to the extent of being able to create
several layers of planar structure precisely, it normally does not permit too much assembling
and thus limits the feasibility of producing complex, especially three dimensional,
microstructures. To achieve more sophisticated structures, assembling of micro components
is indispensable. Furthermore, the maintenance and modification of such systems will also
require the gripping and manipulating of the micro parts in the systems.

4. How are they made?

Most MEMS devices and systems involve some form of lithography-based microfabrication,
borrowed from the microelectronics industry and enhanced with specialized techniques
generally called micromachining. The batch fabrication that is characteristic of the
microelectronics industry offers the potential for great cost reduction when manufacturing in
high volume. Lithographic techniques generally require the use of flat substrates. Silicon is
often used even when there are no electronic components in the device because the tools and
instruments needed for micro fabrication are designed to match the characteristics of silicon
wafers. Lithography offers in-plane sub-micron precision on dimensional scales from micron
to millimeter. Thin film deposition and etching techniques in combination with wafer-
bonding techniques allow patterning of the third dimension, making possible the creation of
movable parts. The combination of lithography with thin-film methods tends to result in
structures characterized by extrusion of two-dimensional features into the third dimension.
New fabrication methods provide additional freedom to sculpt more general three-
dimensional structures, but these have not yet entered high-volume manufacturing.

Because MEMS fabrication usually involves some steps shared with conventional
microelectronics, there is an almost reflexive urge to make fully integrated Microsystems,
i.e., integrated circuits that include mechanical or other non-electronic elements on the silicon
chip along with the electronic part of the system. Some manufacturers are aggressively
pursuing this path. However, an alternate strategy is to partition the micro system into
subsystems that are fabricated separately, and then assembled into a compact system during
the packaging operation. The debate over the right approach is a continuing one, with no
clear answer. However, individual MEMS practitioners (including this author) have strong
opinions. It is clear that the system architecture and its Partitioning into components has an
enormous impact on the details of how the system is built. Further, the encapsulation and
packaging of the components into a system can greatly impact the design.

5. What are they made of?

The choice of materials in a micro system is determined by micro fabrication constraints.
Integrated circuits are formed with various conductors and insulators that can be deposited
and patterned with high precision. Most of these are inorganic materials (silicon, silicon
dioxide, silicon nitride, aluminum and tungsten), although certain polymers are used as well.
Micro fabrication that extends beyond conventional microelectronics opens up a much
broader range of materials and a corresponding set of additional techniques such as
electroplating of metals, and molding and embossing of plastics. The range of materials for
Microsystems has now become very broad. This offers many choices. One role of the design
process is to evaluate the relative merits of different ways of building a proposed device.
Since the performance of MEMS devices depends on the constitutive properties of the
materials from which they are Ade, the increased diversity of material choices carries with it
a requirement for measurement and documentation of their properties. Many of these
materials are used in thin-film form, and it is well known that thin-film properties can differ
from bulk properties. Hence, certain properties that are critical in device performance, for
example, the elastic modulus or residual stress of a suspended beam, must be monitored in
manufacturing to ensure repeatability from device to device. This demands new methods of
material property measurement, a subject of increasing importance in the Microsystems field.

6. Present MEMS Challenges

To date, only a handful of MEMS-based devices are being commercialized. This is in fact
quite disheartening given the many research facilities and research personnel involved in this
field. But a closer look will reveal that given the slightly more than 10 years of works done
in this area, it is only recently that the amount of resources involved in the research and
development of MEMS have increased dramatically. This can be seen from the number of
published works and authors from the pioneering years to date. This recent explosion in
interest in the MEMS area could have been, in part, a result of the successful
commercialization of some high profile products like the micro-accelerometer and Bubble Jet
Printer Head. In order to make MEMS technology a successful commercial one, a great
amount of efforts will be needed on the research and development of sensors, actuators,
materials and processing technologies.

Despite the size and scale of MEMS research and development investments, they are small
compared to the R&D expenditures made by the integrated circuit industry. However, the
size of the MEMS industrial base is still very small and unable to sustain large R&D
expenditures. Since its inception, MEMS technology has been able to leverage heavily from
the development in the IC technologies. However, the magnitude of this leveraging has begun
to lessen due to the speed of progress and change in the IC fabrication arena. Most industrial
commercialization of the technology will likely come from the relatively more direct
applications in the future. These include simple structural components, where the short-term
return can be readily attainable. Unfortunately, in most cases, either the device has yet to
exist, or have not even been imaged by potential users. The accessibility of companies, both
small and large, to MEMS fabrication facilities needs to be increased. Currently, Most
companies who wish to explore the potential of MEMS technology have very limited options
for getting devices prototyped or manufactured. A mechanism allowing these organizations to
have responsive and affordable access to MEMS fabrication resources for prototyping and
manufacturing is essential. Quality control standards for MEMS technologies are needed.
Frequently, the quality of many MEMS devices fabricated at either academic or commercial
facilities is low. Part of the problem is that the technology is so new that the fabricators do
not yet know how to define quality, much less measure it.

Other technical challenges are:

(1) Advanced simulation and modelling tools for MEMS design are urgently needed.
(2) The packaging of MEMS devices and systems needs to improve considerably from its
current primitive states.
(3) MEMS device design must be separated from the complexities of the fabrication
sequences, etc.

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