INTRODUCTION TO MEMS (ECT359-2)

UNIT I
D. D. Shrivastava
Assistant Professor, EC RCOEM
Agenda
01 What is MEMS? Why MEMS?

02 History and Overview of MEMS

03 Application and Scope for MEMS devices

04 Miniaturization, Device scaling

05 MEMS Sensors and Actuators

 What is MEMS?

• MEMS : Micro – Electro – Mechanical Systems

• Implies “something to do with micron scale i.e. 10-6”

• Implies “presence of electrical component or functionality”

• Implies “presence of mechanical component or functionality”

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 What is MEMS?
Micro - Small size, microfabricated structures

Electro - Electrical signal / control ( In / Out )

Mechanical - Mechanical functionality ( In / Out )

Systems - Structures, Devices, Systems, Control

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 Example…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
WLAemH5GARk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
NN1R3Sqimk8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
32HXlchQgsw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA3rzC
4cM1U
Systems that combine mechanical and
electrical functionality fabricated in dimensions
that range from microns to millimetre
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 What is MEMS?
Micro-Electro-Mech
anical Systems

Asia and America

Microsystems
Technology (MST)
Europe

Micromachines

Japan Micro Science and NEMS

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 MEMS and Microelectronics
• Microelectronics
• Small sized electronic devices: CMOS, memory,….

• Fabrication and characterization process is well defined and matured

• MEMS uses same fabrication process to fabricate mechanically

moving parts of micron scale.

• Additional specialized process also developed for MEMS

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 Why MEMS?
Miniaturization

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 Why MEMS?
Miniaturization

Source: TDK Global

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 MEMS Devices Available

Printers Sensors Switches

Inkjet Printer Head Thermal Sensor 6 RF MEMS switch

Courtesy Philips Courtesy Omron Courtesy Menlo Micro
Electronics

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 Why MEMS?
• Miniaturization of existing devices

• Development of new devices

• Development of new tools

• Wearable

• IoT

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 What Goes in Favor MEMS

o The employment of well-established micro-technology

o The production of miniature sensors

o The production of less bulky and much lighter sensors

o The batch production of wafers for high volume

o The integration of processors

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 Miniaturization
• Achieve absolute level of Integration
• Superior performance

• Offer multiple functionalities

• Low cost due to batch fabrication

• Low energy consumption

• Advantageous for various areas of application : optics, medical, …

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 Source: Micro and Smart Systems
Technology and Modeling

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 History and Overview
By-product of Microelectronics

• 1948 foundation of Microelectronics laid with first transistor

• 1952 first JFET presents itself
• 1958 development of integrated circuits
• Complex data processing
• Processing chips can be interfaced/connected with sensors and actuators
• Performance to price ratio of sensors and actuators falls far behind
• Need of a link between sensors and actuators and microelectronic systems

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 History and Overview
"There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom“
-Richard Feynman
December 29th 1959
• Spur innovative miniature fabrication techniques for micromechanics
• 1969 curiosity for new microelectronics fabrication techniques began to build up
• Bulk-etched silicon wafers used as pressure sensors in 1970’s
• Kurt Petersen published - Silicon as a Structural Material in 1982
• Reference for material properties and etching data for silicon
• Early experiments in surface - micromachined polysilicon in 1980’s
• First electrostatic comb drive actuators - micropositioning disc heads Micromachining
leverages microelectronics industry in late 1980’s
• 1993 Commercial MEMS based Accelerometer
• 2001 Commercial Optical cross Connect switch
• Widespread experimentation and documentation increases public interest

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 History and Overview

Sensors

Micro-
system

Actuators Signal
Processing

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 Micron Size
How small is Small?

https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=8Are9
dDbW24

Source: Micro and Smart Systems

Technology and Modeling

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 Micron Size
How small is Small?

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 Scaling
Changing Device Dimensions
• Change in dimension: from macro to micro scale
• What changes with scaling? Physics of device, performance, working
• Scaling decides –
• Device performance
EXAMPLE
• Device working
• Changing physics
• Provides judgement whether device is suitable for miniaturization

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 Scaling
Scaling the physical dimensions by a scale factor S –
S = L ‘/L or L’ = SL
• Length related phenomenon (α L) scales as S1
• Surface related phenomenon (α L2) scales as S2 L’
L
• Volume related phenomenon (α L3) scales as S3
1200 0,000012

1000 0,00001

800 0,000008
L L
600 0,000006
S S

400 V 0,000004 V

200 0,000002

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 0,000002
0,000004
0,000006
0,000008
0,00001
0,000012
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 Example 2
The weight of the water bug scales as volume (S3)
A water bug can
walk on water The balancing force scales as the surface (S1)

Decreasing Scale size, S, decreases weight more

rapidly than the surface tension forces.
Changing S (from a m-sized man to a mm-sized
bug), decreases the weight by a factor of a billion,
while the surface tension force decreases by only a
Water Bug factor of a million. Hence, the bug walks on water.
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 Scope of MEMS
Multidisciplinary

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 Scope of MEMS
Mapping MEMS Devices with Domains
฀ Sensors Electrical
฀ Accelerometers and gyroscopes Mechanical
฀ Pressure sensors Thermal
฀ RF switches, passives, resonant filters Optical
฀ Read-write heads, AFM/STM probes Fluidic
฀ Optical switches, displays Chemical
฀ (Ink) jet heads Biological
฀ Biochemical labs-on-chip Magnetic
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 Scope of MEMS
Adaptive structures
Space
Structure
Health monitoring
Air bags Self-healing
Civil
Shock Automotive Structure Warning
Absorber
Microsystems

Shape
Damping Vibration
Aerodynamic
Wall paper and Noise
Control
Aerospace control
Stealth Rotorcraft
Medical
Drug delivery
Tele-surgery
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 • Miniature sensors and actuators

MEMS in a • Involves almost every discipline

• Leverages the existing IC technology

Broader Sense
• Creating technology

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 Sensor and Actuator
Insert the title of your subtitle Here

Bulb Mic IR Sensor Antenna

Transducer Transducer Sensor Transducer

Converts Converts sound Detects Converts
electrical energy energy into object/interruption electrical energy
into light electrical energy into radiation

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 Sensor and Actuator

Electrical Physical Electrical

Quantity Quantity Quantity

Physical Electrical Physical

Quantity Quantity Quantity
Transducer Sensor Actuator
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 Sensor and Actuator

Signal
Environment
Conditioning

Sensor

Signal
Environment
Conditioning

Actuator

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 Sensor and Actuator
Blocks of a Typical System

Environment

Actuator Sensor

Signal
Conditioning and
Control Unit

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 Sensor and Actuator
MEMS Perspective

Sensor Signal
Control Unit
Environment Conditioning

Actuator

User
Transducer

Integrated
Separate Microsystem
Integrated
Components
Sensor

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 MEMS Sensor and Actuator
Integrated Microsystem

Integrated microsystems can be classified into three major groups as follows:

1. Micromechanical structures: These are non-moving structures, such as microbeams
and microchannels.
2. Microsensors: These respond to physical and chemical signals (such as pressure,
acceleration, pH, glucose level, etc.) and convert them to electrical signals.
3. Microactuators: These convert electrical or magnetic input to mechanical forms
of energy (e.g. resonating beams, switches, and micropumps).

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 MEMS Sensor and Actuator
Microsystems integrate sensors, actuators & electronics to provide some useful function

A schematic
diagram of A
DXL50 accel
erometer.

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 MEMS Sensor and Actuator
Micromachining is used commercially to produce channels for microfluidic devices
and also to fabricate systems referred to as ‘‘labs on a chip’’ for chemial analysis and
analysis of biomedical materials

silicon nanotip
fabricated using bulk
micromachining

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 MEMS Sensor and Actuator
Sensor or actuator can be classified according to the energy domain.

Domain of Sensors or Actuators

Electrical Thermal Radiation Mechanical Magnetic Bio(chemical)

E T R Me M C

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 MEMS Sensor and Actuator

Me Me
M R M R
C E T C E T
A vector represents a thermal sensor,
whereas A represents a thermal actuator

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 MEMS Sensor and Actuator

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 Sensors and Actuators
Transducer: Converts one form of energy to another

Microsensor or microactuator
A sensor or actuator that is manufactured using microfabrication and
micromachining techniques
Other microstructures that neither sense nor actuate.
Microchannels, micronozzles, microlenses, etc.

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Thank you
 Example 1

A glass cube is
dropped in a beaker SINK
filled with water

Will it float or sink?

FLOAT
A Glass Cube
in Water

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 Example 1
Side of glass cube is 1 μm
A glass cube is
dropped in a beaker SINK
filled with water

Will it float or sink?

FLOAT
A Glass Cube
in Water

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 What has Changed?
Cube Size

What it Changed?
Surface tension force acting in oppose to
the gravitational acceleration

Forces pulling down the cube α Cube Side3

Forces pushing up the cube α Cube Side

Different forces are dominant at

different scales
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 Scaling
Changing Dimension
Phenomenon in Phenomenon in

Macro Length Micro

Length L1
0.1
10 Length

Surface L2
0.01
100 Surface

Volume L3
0.001
1000 Volume
Volume forces Device Length Length forces
dominate Changes dominate

Volume-related phenomena decrease much more rapidly than surface-related

phenomena, which in turn decrease rapidly than length-related phenomena.
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