Report on MEMS

Submitted To:-

Prof.Kazim Shah
Submitted By:-

Kainat Shahzadi
Report Title:-

Introduction to MEMS
Course Title:-

Presentation
Program:-

ADS (DM-IV)

University of Central Punjab (JPJ)

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Abstract:-
In this assignment, we are study about Mems, Introduction to mems, History of
Mems and different structure of Mems. We are also study about components of
Mems.
We are proper explaining its history and we are also explaining problems that were
challenge. We are explaining fabrication process step by step.

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 Contents Page

1. Introduction…...............................................................................................4

1.1. What is MEMS………………………………………………………...6

1.2. Components of Mems…………………………………………………9

1.3. Application of Mems………………………..…………………………13

1.4. History…………………………………………………………………20

1.5. Problem Statement ……………………………………….…................22

1. Fabrication Process………………………………………………………….25

1.1.Bulk Micro-machining…………………………………………………..28

1.2.Surface Micro-machining……………………………………………..30

1.3.LIGA Techniques………………………………………………………33

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 CHAPTER#1
1 Introduction to Mems:-
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), also known as Micromechanics,
Microsystems technology (MTS) or Nano-technology, is an interdisciplinary field of study
committed to the physical integration of micromechanical systems with microelectronics,
resulting in miniature embedded system that
Involve micro-machined components and Structures.
MEMS have been studied since the 1960's. The first devices appeared in the 70's and the public
interest gave MEMS a boost in the 80's. During the last decade, the research has grown through
funding from govemmental agencies, Involving researchers from universities and industries all
over the world (MEMS Exchange, 2003). Most of this research a nd development has been

directed toward the replacement of conventional technologies to increase

Functionality, reduces cost, and improves reliability.
The strong demand of these systems in different fields of work makes the study
and general understanding of MEMS required for any engineer. This paper
introduces the general concepts of this technology, by surnmarizing the
Material s and processes involved in fabrication, and provides a closer look at two
applications where MEMS have been successfully implemented.

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 Fig.(1)

MEMS components range in size from a millionth of a meter (micrometer) to a

thousandth of a meter (millimeter).
They are also referred to as micro-machines, microsystems, micromechanics, or
Micro Systems Technology (MST).
In 1965 Gordon Moore made an observation: since the invention of the transistor
in the late 1940s the number of transistors per square inch integrated circuits had
doubled every 18 months since the integrated circuit was invented in the late
1950's, early 1960's. This observation was the basis for "Moore's Law". With this
statement, Moore indicated that technology has and will for the future concentrate
on smaller, not bigger.
 Made up of components between 1 to 100 micrometers in size.
 Devices generally range in size from 20 micrometers to a military.

1.4.What is Mems???
Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are a process technology used to create
tiny integrated devices or systems that combine mechanical and electrical
components.

 MEMS stand for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)

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 Fig.(2)

In the most general form MEMS consist of mechanical-microstructures, micro-

sensors, micro-actuators and micro-electronics, all integrated onto the same silicon
chip.
It is also known by other affiliated names such as microsystems technology (MST)
or micro-machines. MEMS is an umbrella term for a wide range of
microfabrication designs, methods and mechanisms that involves realizing moving
mechanical parts at microscopic scale.

 The interdisciplinary nature of MEMS utilizes:

Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Integrated circuit fabrication technology
mechanical engineering, Material Science, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering.
MEMS devices are very small; their components are usually microscopic. Pumps,
valves, gears, pistons, as well as motors and even steam engines have all been
fabricated by MEMS. However, two points are worth consideration. MEM is not
just about the miniaturization of mechanical components or making things out of
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silicon (in fact, the term MEMS is actually misleading as many micro machined
devices are not mechanical in a strict sense). MEMS is a manufacturing
technology; a paradigm for designing and creating complex integrated devices and
systems using batch fabrication techniques similar to the technologies used in IC
manufacturing or standard machining technologies extended in to the micro and
nanometer area.

Fig (a) Fig (b)

Fig (3)
Secondly, not all miniaturized components are as yet useful or commercialized.
Although micro scale gearboxes, pumps and steam engines are fascinating to see,
the practical problems associated with the operating (wear, energy efficiency etc.),
and the high cost of creating them, often stands in the way of successful
commercialization.
From a very early vision in the early 1950's, MEMS has gradually made its way
out of research laboratories and into everyday products. In the mid-1990's, MEMS
components began appearing in numerous commercial products and applications
including accelerometers used to control airbag deployment in vehicles, pressure
sensors for medical applications, and inkjet printer heads. Later also other products
were developed like: oscillators, displays, lab on chip and microphones.

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 Fig (4)
MEMS have several distinct advantages as a manufacturing technology.
In the first place, the interdisciplinary nature of MEMS technology and its
micromachining techniques, as well as its diversity of applications has resulted in
an unprecedented range of devices and synergies across previously unrelated fields
(for example biology and microelectronics).
Secondly, MEMS with its batch fabrication techniques enables components and
devices to be manufactured with increased performance and reliability, combined
with the obvious advantages of reduced physical size, volume, weight and cost.

Thirdly, MEMS provides the basis for the manufacture of products that cannot be
made by other methods. These factors make MEMS as pervasive technology as
integrated circuit microchips. However, three points makes it very different:
MEMS products tend to be application specific, giving rise to a wide range of very
different products. Secondly, the number of MEMS products will be always less
than that for semiconductor IC’s. A good example is the inkjet printer. The four
inkjet nozzles are operated using printed circuit boards with tens of other silicon
devices. Thirdly, contrary to IC manufacturing, there is no such thing as a standard
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building component like the transistor. This leads to a more diverse technology
base with more development and engineering work and therefore to a more
expensive and more difficult to maintain technology.

1.5.Definition and classification

This section defines some of the key terminology and classifications associate d
with MEMS. It is intended to help the reader and newcomers to the field of
micromachining become familiar with some of the more common terms. A more
detailed glossary of terms has been included in Appendix A.
Although MEMS are also referred to as MST, strictly speaking, MEMS is a
process technology used to create these tiny mechanical devices or systems, and as
a result, it is a subset of MST. There are considerable overlaps between fields in
terms of their integrating technology and their applications and hence it is
extremely difficult to categories MEMS devices in terms of sensing domain and
their subset of MST. The real difference between MEMS and MST is that MEMS
tends to use semiconductor processes to create a mechanical part.

Fig (5)

In contrast, the deposition of a material on silicon for example, does not constitute

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a MEMS product but is an application of MST.
Micromachining relates to the creation of small parts such as lenses, gearwheels
etc. with mechanical functionality. Microdot-electro-mechanical systems
(MOEMS) are also a subset of MST and, together with MEMS, form the
specialized technology fields using combinations of miniaturized optics,
electronics and mechanics. Such microsystems incorporate the use of
microelectronics batch processing techniques for their design and fabrication. The
class of MEMS devices operating as actuators or sensors for biochemical processes
and instrumentation is called BioMEMS.

Fig (6)

Microfluidics refers to the collection of pumps, valves, fluidic channels, mixers

and reactors having structures with dimensions in the order of 500 μm or smaller.
More specifically biochips, made from glass, silicon or polymer, facilitates the
reaction with DNA, protein or other biological reagents for the purpose of
biochemical processing or to obtain information about the processed material. Such
devices are used for scientific research, drug development, clinical and point of
care diagnostics, agriculture, food and environmental monitoring. Biochips are
broadly divided in microarray chips and microfluidics chips; the microfluidics
chips are also referred to as Lab-on-Chip. A complete micro-analytical device,
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containing: pumps, valves, micro-channels and reactors to manipulate test samples
and other reagents. Such chips also include a biosensor or an array of biosensors as
well as a read-out device.
A microarray on the other hand, fix DNA or protein on a plate to enable reactions
with the reagents through which the presence or absence of certain DNA or protein
is detected, and the analysis of their characteristics becomes possible by observing
the type of reaction taking place.
In a piezo-resistive device, conductivity of the doped semiconductor is influenced
by mechanical deformation. This principle allows detection of movement in an
inertial sensor or deformation in a pressure sensor. The advantages are: a good
sensitivity and a good linearity at constant temperature. The major disadvantage is
its strong temperature dependence. Typically four piezo-resistors are connected
into a Wheatstone bridge configuration to increase accuracy.
A capacitive pressure sensor measures a pressure by detecting an electrostatic
capacitance change; at least one electrode of the capacitor is on a moving structure.
Capacitive sensors have the advantage over the piezo-resistive type in that they
consume less power, but have a non-linear output signal and are more sensitive to
electromagnetic interference.

Fig (7)

So what exactly is MEMS?

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is the Integration of mechanical
elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common substrate through the
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utilization of microfabrication technology or “micro-technology’’.

Fig (8)
TRANSDUCER:-
A transducer is a device that transforms one form of signal or energy into another
form. The term transducer can therefore be used to include both sensors and
actuators and is the most generic and widely used term in MEMS.

SENSOR:-
A sensor is a device that measures information from a surrounding environment
and provides an electrical output signal in response to the parameter it measured.
Over the years, this information (or phenomenon) has been categorized in terms of
the type of energy domains but MEMS devices generally overlap several domains
or do not even belong in any one category.
These energy domains include:
• Mechanical - force, pressure, velocity, acceleration, position
• Thermal - temperature, entropy, heat, heat flow
• Chemical - concentration, composition, reaction rate
• Radiant - electromagnetic wave intensity, phase, wavelength, polarization

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reflectance, refractive index, transmittance.
ACTUATOR:-
An actuator is a device that converts an electrical signal into an action. It can create
a force to manipulate itself, other mechanical devices, or the surrounding
environment to perform some useful function.

1.6.Applications of Mems:-
Applications are developed where miniaturization is beneficial:
i. Consumer products
ii. Aerospace
iii. Automotive
iv. Biomedical
v. Chemical
vi. Gyroscope
vii. Microphones
viii. Lab –on-chip
ix. Optical displays
x. Wireless and optical communications
xi. Fluidics

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 Fig (9)

 Consumer Product:-
MEMS chips are finally small enough, cheap enough, and rugged enough to take
their place in the world of consumer electronics. Motion sensors, microphones,
gyroscopes and accelerometers are currently flourishing in consumers’ cell phones,
digital cameras, gaming devices, laptops and other devices.
What’s more, experts say, the trend is just getting started. MEMS manufacturers
both the large, fully-integrated behemoths and the small, fabless outfits are gearing
up for a breakout year in 2007.
“The main reason that MEMS components are popular now for consumer
electronics is that they offer sizes and functions not previously available,” said
Jean Christophe Eloy, general manager of Yole Development, a MEMS market
research company in Lyon, France. “The components are also smaller and can be
soldered directly onto the circuit boards. That offers a real technology and price
advantage.”

 Auto-motive:-
Automotive has been the first mass market for MEMS products and was for a long

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time the main driving force for the MEMS industry. According to Wicht
Technology Consulting there are currently over 100 sensors in each modern, high
end, car of which about 30 % MEMS products, mainly accelerometers, gyros,
inclinometers, pressure- and flow-sensors.
The increasing complexity of the cars, due to demands on safety, driver and
passenger comfort and environmental restrictions will cause this market to grow
for the coming years. Expected growth areas are: IR sensors for air quality,
accelerometers for motor maintenance, micro-scanners for displays, energy
scavengers for tire pressure management etc. Due to increasing compatibility with
IC production technologies, the number of suppliers is increasing and prices are
expected to decrease over the coming years.

Fig (10)

 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 microfluidic systems as well as chemical

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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.
Bio-mems are used to refer to the science and technology of operating at the
microscale for biological and biomedical applications.

Fig (11)

 Chemical:-
Chemical sensor in MEMS of all the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
devices being developed, chemical sensors are probably the most difficult but also
the most needed (Wise, 1996).
Some of the MEMS devices being explored do not have sufficient sensitivity or
dynamic range for use in the field, especially over extended periods of time. Worse
still, most chemical sensors are not stable and drift randomly at levels that are
significant with respect to the overall dynamic range. Many also lack selectivity
and respond similarly to a number of agents, only some of which may be
hazardous. They also lack specificity and are unable to pick one (harmful) gas
from other (benign) gases that may be present. Finally, response times are usually
many seconds and can be many minutes, far too slow for wearable use. The human
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body would, unfortunately, respond faster.
Chemical sensors must be very sensitive (at the parts-per-billion level), stable, and
robust enough for use in the field, selective and specific to gases of interest (yet
generic in approach), and fast enough to protect nearby personnel. The sensor
should also be low enough in operating power to be deployed in the field in a
small, lightweight package (similar in size to a credit card or wristwatch).

 Gyroscope:-
A gyroscope is generally a spinning wheel or disk with a free axis allowing it to
take any orientation (below left). Some MEMS gyroscopes use a vibrating
structure rather than the traditional rotating disk to determine orientation.

fig(a) fig(b)
Fig (12)

 Lab-On-Chip:-
Biochips are biological microchips that host reactions between DNA, proteins,
chemical and biological reagents on glass, silicon or plastic plates in order to
extract information.

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The main advantages of Lab on Chip components include ease-of-use, speed of
analysis, low sample and reagent consumption and high reproducibility due to
standardisation and automation. As is clear from the term Lab on Chip, the goal is
to place the entire process of a laboratory onto a single chip. Microfluidic systems
therefore typically contain silicon micromachined pumps, flow sensors,
microchannels, microreactors and chemical sensors.

Fig (13)
They enable fast and easy manipulation and analysis of small volumes of liquids.
The ability to receive test results in a few hours or even minutes, rather than a
week or so, will make a vast difference in diagnosis and treatment, but also in the
patient’s well being. There are three main application areas for Lab on Chip:
medical diagnostics, clinical diagnostics and life science research. Lab on chip
concepts have been developed and are being developed for many applications such
as SARS, leukaemia, breast cancer, dipolar disorder and a several infectious
diseases.

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 Fig (14)
From a unit shipment standpoint, Point of Care diagnostics is the largest segment,
although in terms of turnover, the segment of life science research is larger, thanks
to higher chip prices. Price of components here can run into several hundreds of
dollars, while for POC diagnostics a few dollars or less is acceptable at most.
Chips for specialized clinical diagnostics tests operate somewhere in the middle.

 Microphones:-
The first MEMS based microphones were developed in the eighties, but
commercial success was difficult to achieve due to it being a replacement product.
The new devices had to compete with very well entrenched traditional products
such as the electret condenser microphone which is inexpensive ($0.50 or less) and
shows a good performance in terms of frequency response and sensitivity.
However, as MEMS microphones have the advantage of better temperature
resistance, they are therefore better suited for a highly automated assembly line; in
contrast to the electret condenser microphone, which have to be soldered by hand.
Other advantages include the option of integration with electronics and the ability
to fabricate arrays into one chip. The main application areas for such devices
include digital cameras, mobile phones, electronic note books/pads, hands free sets
of mobile phones in cars. Clearly hearing aids is also an important application area.
The MEMS microphones are fabricated on the surface of a silicon wafer. A
membrane layer is deposit on a silicon wafer on which a spacer layer is deposited

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and used to separate this diaphragm from the back-plate. By a combination of bulk
and surface micromachining the membrane is released, so it can vibrate freely with
incoming sound. The changing capacitance of the charged capacitor formed by the
back plate and diaphragm transforms the sound signal into an electrical signal.

Fig (15)

2. History of Mems:-
The history of MEMS is useful to illustrate its diversity, challenges and
applications. The following list summarizes some of the key MEMS milestones.
1950’s
1958 Silicon strain gauges commercially available
1959 “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” – Richard Feynman gives a
milestone presentation at California Institute of Technology. He issues a public
challenge by offering $1000 to the first person to create an electrical motor smaller
than1/64 of an inch.

1960’s to 1979’s
1961 First silicon pressure sensor demonstrated
1967 Invention of surface micromachining. Westinghouse creates the Resonant
Gate Field Effect Transistor, (RGT).Description of use of sacrificial material to

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free Micro-mechanical devices from the silicon substrate.
1970 First silicon accelerometer demonstrated
1979 First micro-machined inkjet nozzle

1980’s
Early 1980’s: first experiments in surface micro-machined silicon. Late 1980’s:
micromachining leverages microelectronics industry and widespread
experimentation and documentation increases public interest.
1982 Disposable blood pressure transducer
“Silicon as a Mechanical Material’’
instrumental paper to entice the scientific community – reference for material
properties and etching data for silicon.

1982 LIGA Process

1988 First MEMS conference

1990’s to 2000
Methods of micromachining aimed towards improving sensors.
1992 MCNC starts the Multi-User MEMS Process (MUMPS) sponsored by
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
1992 First micro-machined hinge
1993 First surface micro-machined accelerometer sold (Analog Devices, ADXL50)
1994 Deep Reactive Ion Etching is patented
1995 BioMEMS rapidly develops
2000 MEMS optical-networking components become big business

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 Fig (16)
2.1.Problem Statement:-
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

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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.
The output of well-trained MEMS engineers and scientists from universities needs
to increase. MEMS is a multidisciplinary field that consists of a wide range of
technical and design expertise ranging from chemical to electrical engineering and
from mechanical or electrical field. Depending on the area of use of the MEMS
device, knowledge of other disciplines like biology and materials might be needed
in the designing of the devices. Aincreasing number of MEMS engineers and
scientists is urgently needed. Also it is necessary to gather expertise from different
disciplines to work into the development of MEMS devices for their successful
applications.
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. For example,

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

Objectives?

CHAPTER#2
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 1. Fabrication Process of MEMS
Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS) is a technique used to manufacture
miniaturized mechanical and electro-mechanical components using semiconductor
manufacturing processes such as ion implantation, diffusion, oxidation, sputtering,
etc., in combination with specialized micromachining techniques. Both the
mechanical parts and the electronics that control them are built in the same piece of
silicon. The resulting devices are also called MEMS.

MEMS devices layout varies from a simple structure without moving parts to
complex electro-mechanical components having several moving parts controlled
by integrated circuits. The size of the devices also varies from less than one micron
to several millimeters. The functional elements of the devices are few, consisting
of transducers (micro sensors and micro actuators), some other micro structure, and
microelectronics used to control the MEMS. In the last two decades, several types
of MEMS sensor have been developed covering all sensing modes, including
temperature, pressure, humidity, inertial forces, magnetic fields, radiation,
chemical species, etc. These sensors normally exceed the performance of their
macroscale similar, and because their fabrication process uses the same batch
fabrication techniques used in the semiconductor production cost per device is
much lower that corresponding macro-device. The combination of low production
cost and better efficiency has provided numerous commercial market
opportunities.

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MEMS Fabrication Techniques:

There are several fabrication techniques used nowadays. Normally to fabricate a

MEMS device more than one of these techniques is used. There are three features
that must be considered in MEMS fabrication technologies:
(a) Miniaturization allows the fabrication of compact and quick response devices.

(b) Multiplicity refers to the capability of the fabrication techniques, inherent in

semiconductor processes, that produces thousands or millions of units.

(c) Microelectronics to provide the merger of sensors, actuators and logic in a

unit, so that feedback (intelligent) mechanisms can be implements. To fabricate
MEMS combine the first two features, both inherited from the semiconductor IC
fabrication technology, with a sophisticated micromachining processes. Let’s look
at some of these techniques.

IC Fabrication:

This process is the normal technique used to manufacture typical integrated

circuits. The fabrication consists in the application of the following steps, normally
several times during the manufacturing. The process starts with a polished silicon –
the substrate - wafer that undergoes these steps.

 Thin film growth

In order to build active and passive components, a thin film should be deposited on
the wafer. The type of film includes epitaxial silicon, silicon dioxide (SiO 2), silicon
nitride (Si3N4) polysilicon, a metal and others.

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  Doping 

In order to control the conductivity of the wafer at different locations a low level of
impurities (boron, phosphorous, etc.) should be added by thermal deposition or ion
implantation.

 Lithography and etching 

Using masks designed to produce certain patterns on the wafer and using a
photosensitive chemical called photoresist a pattern is generated and transferred to
the wafer. This process, called photolithography, is used to either add impurities or
to etch the wafer in selected locations. Etching is a process used to selectively
remove unwanted regions of the thin film or substrate in order to delineate and
shape the components. There are two modalities of etching: wet and dry etching.

Figure (1) shows the main steps of the IC fabrication process

To fabricate MEMS, we mention this before; it is needed to add a micromachining

process. There are several available.

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1.1. Steps of MEMs Fabrication using Bulk Micromachining:

Step1:
The first step involves the circuit design and drawing of the circuit either on a
paper or on using software like PSpice or Proteus.
Step 2:
The second step involves the simulation of the circuit and modeling using CAD
(Computer-Aided Design) CAD is used to design the photolithographic mask
which consists of the glass plate coated with chromium pattern.
Step 3:
The third step involves photolithography. In this step, a thin film of insulating
material like Silicon Dioxide is coated over the silicon substrate, and over this,
an organic layer, sensitive to ultraviolet rays is deposited using spin coating
technique. The photolithographic mask is then placed in contact with the organic
layer.  The whole wafer is then subjected to UV radiation, allowing the pattern
mask to be transferred to the organic layer. The radiation either strengthens the
photo-resistor weakens it. The uncovered oxide on the exposed photoresist is
removed using Hydrochloric acid. The remaining photoresist is removed using
hot sulphuric acid and the resultant is an oxide pattern on the substrate, which is
used as a mask.
Step 4:
The fourth step involves the removal of the unused silicon or etching. It involves
the removal of a bulk of the substrate either using wet etching or dry etching. In
wet etching, the substrate is immersed in a liquid solution of a chemical etchant,
which etches out or removes the exposed substrate either equally in all
directions (isotropic etchant) or a particular direction (anisotropic etchant).
Popularly used etchants are HNA (Hydrofluoric acid, Nitric acid, and Acetic
acid) and KOH (Potassium Hydroxide).
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 Step 5:
The fifth step involves the joining of two or more wafers to produce a multi-
layered wafer or a 3 D structure. It can be done using fusion bonding which
involves direct bonding between the layers or using anodic bonding.
Step 6:
The 6th step involves assembling and integrating the MEMs device on the single
silicon chip.
Step 7:
The 7th step involves the packaging of the whole assembly to ensure protection
from the outer environment, proper connection to the environment, minimum
electrical interference. Commonly used packages are metal can package and
ceramic window package. The chips are bonded to the surface either using a
wire bonding technique or using flip-chip technology where the chips are
bonded to the surface using an adhesive material that melts on heating, forming
electrical connections between the chip and the substrate.

Figure (2) Illustration of the etch profile, with and without stirring, using an isotropic wet chemical etchant

In bulk silicon micromachining anisotropic etching is more widely used. In this

29
process, the chemical solution used has an etch rate dependent on the
crystallographic orientation of the substrate. Figure 4 illustrates the profiles of
<100> oriented silicon wafer.

Figure (3)Shape of etch profiles of <100> oriented silicon substrate using anisotropic etchant

1.2. MEMs Fabrication using Surface Micromachining

1st step: Involves the deposition of the temporary layer (an oxide layer or a
nitride layer) on the silicon substrate using a low-pressure chemical vapor
deposition technique. This layer is the sacrificial layer and provides electrical
isolation.

2nd step: Involves the deposition of the spacer layer which can be a
phosphosilicate glass, used to provide a structural base.

3rd step: Involves subsequent etching of the layer using the dry etching
technique. Dry etching technique can be reactive ion etching where the surface to

30
be etched is subjected to accelerating ions of the gas or vapor phase etching.

4th step: Involves the chemical deposition of phosphorus-doped polysilicon to

form the structural layer.

5th step: Involves dry etching or removal of the structural layer to reveal the
underlying layers.

6th step: Involves the removal of the oxide layer and the spacer layer to form the
required structure.

7th step: The rest of the steps are similar to the bulk micromachining technique.

Figure (4)

High-aspect Ratio techniques:

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The techniques described so far are not suitable if the structure to be fabricated has
a high-aspect ratio (HAR). Aspect-ratio is the ratio of depth to width of an etched
feature. For structures with a HAR there are some techniques available. Two of the
most widely used are introduced here.

Deep Reactive Ion Etching

Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) is a relatively new technique used to fabricate
MEMS. With it, we can fabricate HAR structures where the etched holes (or vias)
are nearly vertical and their depth can be thousands of microns. This technology
uses dry plasma etching. The substrate is positioned inside a plasma reactor and it
is bombarded by heavy ions to remove the exposed substrate. The following figure
shows the cross section of a high density plasma reactor. The substrate is placed at
the bottom on an RF-powered chuck where it is bombarded with accelerating
etching species (ions).

Figure (5) High-density plasma reactor used in DRIE etching

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Figure 5 illustrates how deep reactive ion etching is performed. The figure shows
the etching of long walls and the deposit of an etch resistant polymner layer on the
sidewalls. The etching is performed using SF6 ions.

Figure (6) DRIE etching

Figure 6 shows an actual Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of a MEMS

device using the DRI*E method.

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 Figure (7) SEM image of a MEMS device fabricated using DRIE technology

1.3. MEMs fabrication using LIGA Technique

It is a fabrication technique that involves lithography, electroplating, and molding
on a single substrate.

Figure (8) Steps in a basic LIGA process

1st step:  Involves the deposition of a layer of Titanium or copper or Aluminum on

the substrate to form a pattern.
2nd step:  Involves the deposition of a thin layer of Nickel which acts as the plating
base.

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3rd step: Involves the addition of an X-ray sensitive material like PMMA
(polymethyl metha acrylate).
4th step:  Involves aligning a mask over the surface and exposing the PMMA to x-
ray radiation. The exposed area of PMMA is removed and the remaining one
covered by the mask is left.
5th step:  Involves placing the PMMA based structure into an electroplating bath
wherein the Nickel is plated on the removed PMMA areas.
6th step:  Involves the removal of the remaining PMMA layer and the plating layer,
to reveal the required structure.
The process, as seen in the diagram starts by depositing PMMA on a substrate. For
the X-ray exposure of the PMMA a special X-ray mask is used. After development
a very well defined structure with perfect vertical sidewalls is created. It is
important to notice that the X-ray exposure penetrates deeply into any thick
PMMA layer. After this step, the patterned PMMA becomes a polymer mold that
can be electroplated by immersing it into a electroplating bath of nickel that covers
all open areas of the PMMA. Finally, the PMMA is removed leaving a solid
metallic structure. Figure 9 shows an SEM image of a tall gear with a high aspect
ratio.

Figure (9) A SEM image of a HAR of a gear

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Other Techniques:

Besides the techniques introduced in this article, there are other processes the
MEMS industry uses. Some of these include: XeF2 Dry Phase Etching, laser
micromachining, electro-discharge micromachining, focused ion-beam
micromachining, hot embossing, wafer bonding, and others.

Advantages of MEMs technology:

1. It provides an efficient solution to the need for miniaturization without any

compromise on functionality or performance.
2. The cost and time of manufacturing are reduced.
3. The MEMs fabricated devices are more fast, reliable and cheaper
4. The devices can be easily integrated into systems.

Three Practical Examples of MEMs fabricated devices

1) Automobile Airbag Sensor: 

The pioneer application of MEMs fabricated devices was the automobile airbag
sensor which consisted of an accelerometer (to measure the speed or acceleration
of the car) and the control electronics unit fabricated on a single chip which can be
embedded on the airbag and accordingly control the inflation of the airbag.
2) Bio-MEMs device:
A MEMs fabricated device consists of teeth like structure that has been developed
by Sandia National Laboratories which has the provision to trap a red blood cell,
inject it with DNA, proteins, or drugs and then release it back.

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 3) Inkjet Printer Header: 
A MEMs device has been fabricated by HP which consists of an array of resistors
that can be fired using microprocessor control and as the ink passes through the
heated resistors, it gets vaporized to bubbles and these bubbles are forced out of the
device through the nozzle, onto the paper and instantly solidify.
So I have given a basic idea about MEMs fabrication techniques. It’s quite
complicated than it appears. Even there are many other techniques. if you have any
queries on this topic or the electrical and electronic projects Get to know about
them and do add your knowledge here.

Conclusion:-
In this assignment we are understood to many things about Mems.We are conclude
the size of mems can range from millimeter to less than a micrometer.Mems use us
small amount of space and power.We are also introduce to Mems and read the
history.In history we are explain the Mems its proper time and describe different
challenges associated with developing manufacturing process.

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We are also study about MEMS fabrication process.

Reference:-
www.cas.urge.edu.com
www.nanohub.org.com
www.ocw.mit.edu.com
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www.slideshare.net.com
www.scme-nm.org.com
www.lbro.ac.uk.com
www.nsf.gov.com
www.elprocus.com
www.electronics360

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