ELECTROSTATICALLY ACTUATED

MOVABLE MIRROR FOR

MICRO-OPTICAL APPLICATIONS
Project Group: Killol Acharya, Roger Riviere
Alden Wilson, Alexander Yuen

Course: MEMS Fabrication and Design

ME/MatE/EE 169, Spring 2012

Date/Venue: May 22nd 2012

San Jose State University
 Motivation and Objective
Objective
• Design and fabricate micro-mirrors that can be actuated.

Current Applications
• Biomedical: detect diabetes, eye, and heart diseases using high resolution
retinal scanning and imaging.
• Advanced laser systems: sharpen laser beams and shorten laser pulses.
• Astronomical: empower the Gemini Planet Imager and other high power
telescopes by giving them the resolving power necessary to view distant
planets using thousands of incorporated mirrors simultaneously.

(Left) A micrograph of a micro-mirror that will be used on a DNA analysis

micro-chip; similar devices are also used in optical projector systems.

Link: http://misa.snu.ac.kr/research/biomems/images/protein.htm
 Related MEMS Research

• Depositing SU-8 photoresist pillars onto Si cantilevers (left) [1]

→ SU-8 is used as a support and sacrificial layer
• Electro-thermally actuated micro-mirror device (right) [2]

[1] “SU-8 thick photoresist processing as a functional material for MEMS applications,” Journal of micromechanics and
microengineering 12(4), p.368, 2002.

[2] Xie, Huikai, Jingjing Sun, and Lei Wu. "Biomedical Optics & Medical Imaging." Optical Micro-endoscopes for 3D In-vivo Imaging.
SPIE Newsroom, 22 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://spie.org/x39024.xml?pf=true>.
 Materials and Process
Photolithography
Equipment
• Spin coater (model: WS-400A-8NPP/LITE)
• Contact aligner (model: Quintel-4000 Series)
• MTI Multi-Fab; developer machine
• AZ 5214-E positive photoresist
• TMAH; AZ photoresist developer
• SU-8 negative photoresist
• SU-8 developer
• Hot plate

Metallization Figure 1: Evaporator deposition system

• Evaporator deposition system; (Fig. 1)
• Denton Vacuum Explorer 14 – sputter coater

Other Equipment
• Tencor Alpha-step 200; film thickness measurer • Personal protective equipment
• Chemical wet bench and chemical echants • Spin rinse dryer
• Optical microscope • Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
 Mask Design

Mask 1: Contact Pads Mask 2: Anchors: 70x70 microns Mask 3: Mirrors

 Two trials in each mask

square

 48 dimensionally unique
mirrors per quadrant

 Trials copied to remaining

three quadrants to ensure
device redundancy Final Product
 Principle of Operation
TOP VIEW

SIDE VIEW
(ZOOMED IN ON MIRROR)

Tips counter-clockwise Tips clockwise

• Voltages are applied to contact pads and bridge

• Electrostatic forces causes the mirrors to actuate
 COMSOL Simulation

A screenshot from a COMSOL simulation of a simplified 2D cross-section of a micro-

mirror device; simulation parameters are included in the figure above.
 Fabrication Sequence Chart
Acquire Aluminum Deposit Expose
Develop
blank wafers deposition photoresist (Mask 1)

Aluminum Photoresist Deposit

Dump rinse Spin dry
wet etch strip photoresist

Expose Aluminum Deposit Expose

Develop
(Mask 2) deposition photoresist (Mask 3)

Aluminum Photoresist
Develop Dump rinse Spin dry
wet etch strip

*Processes not included in the flow chart: singe, soft bake, and hard bake.
 Fabrication Sequence Images

1 2 3 4
Al deposition & AZ photoresist AZ UV exposure Al second layer
photolithography spin-coating & developing sputter deposition

5 6 7 8
SU-8 photoresist SU-8 UV exposure Al wet etch Removal of
spray-coating & developing sacrificial layer

• SU-8 negative photoresist can be substituted with AZ positive photoresist, but will require a new mask
 Fabrication Results

• Possibility that photoresist was not

fully removed
• Unable to determine if features
were fully suspended
• Limitation to tilting wafer in SEM’s
sample chamber
• Observed jagged edges around
aluminum features; expected from wet
etching
Above: Silicon wafer with an array of
• Decent exposure alignment completed devices in an scanning electron
• Some bridges appeared to have microscope sample chamber; taken with an
collapsed IR camera.
 SEM Imaging

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of completed micro-mirror devices. It is not

known for certain if these devices are fully suspended. (Left) A 50µm X 120µm mirror.
(Right) A 60µm X 80µm mirror. Both images were taken with a FEI Quanta 200 using the
Everhart Thornley detector.
 Additional Images

Poor adhesion of smaller aluminun

features (above) and aluminum
coating (below). A micrograph of a
completed device was taken using an
optical microscope at 50x (right).
 Device Testing
• Successfully actuated multiple mirror devices
• Utilized a micro-probing station and two power supply units (with
common ground)
 Bridge kept at a constant -15V
 +15V and -15V applied to contact pads (CP)
 Reverse voltages to the CP with a switch box
• Bridges could not be actuated again after the first actuation

Before actuation After actuation

Processing Challenges and Lessons
1. Different operating procedures for SU-8 and AZ 5214-E resists:
For SU-8 negative resist:
 Expose → hard bake → develop
For AZ 5214-E positive resist:
 Expose → develop → hard bake
2. Difficulty of deposition, developing, and removal of SU-8
3. Underexposing positive photoresist leaves behind a ‘protective’
layer of photoresist that prevents etching
4. Poor adhesion between aluminum and silicon wafer
 Residual stresses from deposition
 Annealing the wafers is a possible solution
5. If possible, start each process with a disposable wafer
 Machines don’t always work, some require “babysitting”
 Less setback when losing a “dummy” vs. device wafer
 Conclusion
• Produced five wafers carrying arrays of micro-mirrors
• Created the devices using a set of three photomasks
• Developed a traveler for efficient processing
• Performed SEM imaging of a device wafer
• Successfully actuated the micro-mirror device

• For future designs and improvement:

 Rotation in both x and y axis
 Multiple actuations before failure
 Further experimentation with SU-8 photoresist
 Acknowledgments
• Course Instructor: Dr. Mateusz Bryning
• Course Assistants: Jaron Nimori
Nathan Sarina

• Microscale Process Engineering Lab: Neil Peters

• Microelectromechanical Systems Lab: Prof. John Lee
• Materials Characterization
& Metrology Center: Anastasia Micheals
Andrew Dina