Professional Documents
Culture Documents
04433017
04433017
Hiroyuki Fujita
Center for International Research on MicroMechatoronics (CIRMM),
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
This paper gives a brief overview of MEMS The root of MEMS research can be found in the
research and commercialization in the past two research of silicon sensors. A noticeable turning
decades, its present status, and future prospects. point from sensor research toward MEMS research
The historical development of MEMS technology was the demonstration of micromachined movable
is followed in relation to devices enabled by parts [3], gears and turbines [4] made on a silicon
developed technology. For the present status, the chip in 1987. Since then, development has
importance of MEMS design and fabrication continued in micromachining processes, material
infrastructures is discussed in order to help more varieties, micro actuators, and the application of
MEMS products to be successful in high-end MEMS as shown in Fig. 1. The development was
market. Two future trends in low cost fabrication, so fast and wide in variety that I and many of you,
nano miniaturization, and system integration of I guess, were kept surprised watching it.
heterogeneous functional elements are observed. Micromachining processes [5] are based on
silicon integrated circuits (IC) technology and used
1. INTRODUCTION to build three-dimensional structures and movable
parts by the combination of lithography, etching,
This paper is the follow up of the one I film deposition, and wafer bonding. The same
presented at MEMS-97 [1, 2]. This time, I want technology base that enabled miniaturization and
to focus more on the overview of the past, present large-scale integration of electronics offers three
and future of MEMS than the technological distinctive features defining micromachined
development dealt in my previous paper. devices and systems: miniaturization, multiplicity,
In the past twenty years, MEMS technology has and microsystem integration [6]. Miniaturization
matured in the micrometer scale; flexible is clearly essential. Small parts respond fast,
3-dimensional fabrication, integration with constitute miniature machines that work in
microelectronic circuits and operation of various extremely shallow spaces, add functionality to
devices are successfully demonstrated. I have portable or wearable devices, and realize tools to
experienced big surprises to see new processes and investigate the nanometric world. Millions of
devices presented at past IEEE MEMS conferences.
Some MEMS products achieved commercial 1970 1980 1990 2000
sensor
success. Based on such success, many new researchers MEMS devices (actuators/structures)
products have been and will be introduced to the electrical engineers
market now. I will touch upon such applications MEMS, micromachine
mechanical engineers
and give some consideration on how we can
optical MEMS
accelerate the MEMS commercialization. For optical engineers
1-4244-0951-9/07/$25.00 ©2007 IEEE. 1 MEMS 2007, Kobe, Japan, 21-25 January 2007.
such parts can work cooperatively to do things design. For example, the surface micromachining
impossible for a single device alone. Thus, enabled the electrostatic rotational motor. With
multiplicity is one key to successful deep RIE, vertical comb-drives became very
micromechanical systems. The coordination of popular.
these parts is accomplished by integrating them Some other actuators utilize active materials
with electrical circuits. Furthermore, sensing, including piezoelectric (PZT, ZnO, AlN, quartz)
optical, fluidic, and biological elements are to be materials, magnetostrictive materials (TbFe), shape
integrated in multi-functional microsystems in a memory alloy (TiNi) and bio molecular motors.
cost-effective manner. Thermal expansion and phase transformations such
In order to realize those prospects, researchers as the shape-memory effect and bubble formation
have improved the fabrication, design and cause shape or volume changes. Micromachining
integration methods of MEMS. As an example, technology allows us to make structures in which
let us see the historical change of technology for well-controlled field is generated or to deposit and
sensor fabrication. Pressure sensors, one of the pattern actuator materials. Although their
first MEMS products, are composed of KOH performances have improved dramatically, still
etched membranes and ion implanted there are a lot of needs for stronger output force,
piezoresistors. Integrated accelerometers depend faster response and environmental robustness.
on the surface micromachining to have moving Various MEMS applications have been pursued;
masses and circuits on a chip. Defection of very that has resulted in some successful products.
small capacitance change and electrostatic servo Accelerometers for automobiles, e.g. an integrated
feedback enable the sensor of high sensitivity, and surface-micromachined accelerometer [9],
linearity and wide dynamic range. Angular ink-jet printer heads and MEMS projection
velocity sensors (gyroscopes) are intensively displays, e.g. a digital micromirror device [10], are
developed recently; the deep reactive etching typical examples. They also provide very good
technology plays a key role to make examples how MEMS features are beneficial to
high-aspect-ratio resonating structures of the practical devices. Accelerometers take advantage
sensor. Wafer bonding technology is also used to of electronics integration for good performance.
make a vacuum package for low mechanical loss. Micromachined channels and integrated heaters
In summary, we have experienced the enable ink-jet heads to eject ink droplets of a few
improvement in etching accuracy and minimum pL at around 10 kHz from many nozzles in parallel.
dimension to a few tens of nanometers, and the Thus, high-definition color pictures are beautifully
freedom of making 3-D shapes. The integration printed. The scaling effect associated with
of actuators/circuits, the replication process of 3-D miniaturization, that is faster thermal response due
structures and the bonding technology have also to decrease in heat mass, is effectively used in the
significantly advanced. In addition, wafer-scale head. Also parallel processing capability is
encapsulation of MEMS devices is possible by owing to multiplicity of MEMS. The digital
sealing cavities by poly-silicon deposition and micromirror device takes advantages of all three
epi-growth. Electrical contacts can be routed to virtues of MEMS as you may already know well.
the device through the encapsulation layer. Not all products, of course, are successful.
Integrated circuits can be made on the wafer MEMS optical switches in 2000 were overheated.
surface after encapsulation [7]. After the crash of telecommunication market, very
Microactuators are the key devices allowing few companies that developed MEMS optical
MEMS to perform physical functions. Successful switches have survived. Major reason why the
operation of electrostatic micromotors had a big business went wrong was the external cause; the
impact to common people as well as scientists [8]. market environment changed. I may also observe
Since then, many types of microactuators of sizes that the technology was too much specific to the
from 10 micrometers to 1 mm have been target. It was difficult to reorient the R&D
successfully operated. Some of them are driven activities because the expensive and sophisticated
by force associated with physical fields. Force technology cannot match inexpensive market
can be generated in the space between stationary segments. Presently, the MEMS devices have
and moving parts using electric, magnetic, and much higher performance than those in seven years
flow fields. There are many design varieties in ago and 3-D MEMS mirrors for beam steering can
microactuators. You may notice the new realize inexpensive but highly reliable optical
fabrication process allows us to realize a new switches [11].
2
Table 1 Relation between MEMS products and technology
pressure sensor ○
accelerometer ○ ○ △
(servo feedback)
angular speed
sensor
○ ○ ○ ○
ink-jet printer △ ○
head (micro heater)
○ (hydrophobic ○
surface)
digital
micromirror ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
(anti-sticking)
device
optical scanner ○ ○
VOA ○ ○
electrophoresis
chip
○ ○ ○
AFM probe ○ ○
high high
- VOA
- Optical scanner
success
Value added by MEMS
- ink-jet printer
Value added by MEMS
- Electrophoresis chip
head
- AFM probe
essential Mass
distinctive
- DMD
- GLV
success MEMS
MEMS
production
MEMS
- accelerometer
- pressure sensor
failure
low low failure
small large small large
Market size(quantity) Market size(quantity)
3
having a low added-value and a small market can fabrication issue. Fabrication cost is reduced by
never be successful. In other words, the region sharing expensive facilities in foundry firms.
above the line is a success region. Following such service in foreign counties, more
The clusters of products in Fig. 2 can be than ten Japanese companies offer micromachining
classified into three groups as shown in Fig. 3; service now. Each company has, however,
those are mass-production MEMS, distinctive different expertise. Those who use the service for
MEMS and essential MEMS. Here, the the first time might need some guidance. I
distinctive MEMS means the use of a MEMS believe an alliance of foundry companies can offer
device as a key component in the system that has a the comprehensive micromachining capability and
unique feature because of the MEMS component. realize a “one-stop-service”.
The essential MEMS means the MEMS device MEMS design is more and more important to
only with which a system specification can be verify new devices and optimize their
fulfilled. The marketing strategy for each performances to satisfy the specification of
category is very different. products [13]. The virtual design environment is
most effective to shorten the development time and
3.3 ISSUES SUFFERING COMMERCIALIZATION to reduce its cost. A designer can define a set of
masks and a micromachining process sequence and
MEMS technology provides a versatile find the final structure with its performance
fabrication capability for a wide range of industries. through computer simulation. The environment
However, MEMS products remain a few in number, allows the designer to improve MEMS devices
probably because the marketing strategy of with the minimum number of real fabrication. In
semiconductor devices, namely “reducing cost by order to have precise matching between the
mass-fabrication”, can be applied only to the calculated result and the real one, the software for
mass-production MEMS. This group includes a process simulation and mechanical analysis should
very limited number of products. We must break be optimized to MEMS. The academic sector is
the IC manufacturing paradigm [12] for the strong in theoretical background and may supply
successful commercialization of the distinctive appropriate solutions. Also, the material database
MEMS and the essential MEMS. Such should include the material parameter dependence
commercialization, however, bears the following on the type and conditions of each process.
difficulties: Foundry companies and equipment venders are
expected to provide such data. A potential client
(1) Fabrication facilities are too expensive to be of a foundry can try how a device works in
installed only for small volume production. simulation using detailed parameters matched with
(2)Because MEMS fabrication process differs a particular foundry and then submit a real order to
from a device to another, a designer should know it, if the simulation result is satisfactory.
many variations of processes; such high-level There are fairy large amount of knowledge
designers are very few. accumulated over past two decades on MEMS
(3)The optimization of a MEMS device requires devices and fabrication processes. It is not
many repetition of design modification and trial difficult to provide such knowledge from the
fabrication. This makes the development phase academic sector. A knowledge database equipped
long and costly. with a good search engine is a very helpful tool for
(4)Those who want to utilize MEMS in various novice designers and students. In addition, some
products may not have enough knowledge of popular device structures or process sequences
MEMS technology; thus they cannot take the full may be offered as IP, based on which application
advantages of the technology. specific devices may be developed in a short time.
The design environment is indispensable to
3.4 STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME THE ISSUES education in combination with some hand-on
experience in the clean room. Furthermore, the
I believe above mentioned issues can be simulator should not give only electro mechanical
overcome by providing a MEMS manufacturing characteristics of a device but also its functional
infrastructure, namely a MEMS foundry network performances in its final application, e.g. the
and a computer-aided design environment optical loss and cross talk of a MEMS switch, the
associated with a comprehensive material and chemical interaction in a micro fluidic system and
process database. the S-parameters of a RF-MEMS device. A
The MEMS foundry service solves the combined multi-disciplinary analysis software
4
should be constructed [14]. 4. FUTURE OUTLOOK
MEMS opportunities are not only in mass
produced devices but also in key devices of a New research trends are (1) to advance the
high-added-value system. The latter devices can technology further and (2) to realize
be fabricated cost-effectively by the foundry high-performance micro systems with multiple
service after the performance confirmation in the heterogeneous functions. The first direction
virtual design environment. As shown in Fig. 4, includes miniaturization to nano scales and
the infrastructure for MEMS design and introduction of printing and replication technology
fabrication will accelerate the commercialization to IC-compatible micromachining. The second
of MEMS in different fields of application that direction will be achieved by the integration of
require small-volume-large-variety production. many elements for sensing, actuation, information
The collaboration among foundry firms, equipment processing and communication into a single small
and material suppliers, software vendors, academic system as well as by the miniaturization of each
institutions and governmental organizations is element in the nano scale.
necessary to build the infrastructure. Replication of micro molds has been
investigated over twenty years. However, there
are two new developments recently. One is nano
imprinting. Structural size below 100 nm can be
high obtained with typical aspect ratio of 1-2. Hot
success embossing is one way for nano imprinting. Also
essential
Value added by MEMS
5
integrate their functionalities into a target system. REFERENCES
It also serves as an interface between nano and
macro worlds and as a control mechanism of [1] Hiroyuki Fujita, “A Decade of MEMS and its
system operation. Figure 6 represents how such a Future”, IEEE Int. Workshop on MEMS, Nagoya,
system, named nanosystem, can be obtained. Japan, Jan. 26-30, 1997, pp. 1-8
Various heterogeneous functions will be in [2] Hiroyuki Fujita, “Microactuators and
integrated in a nanosystem; those include Micromachines”, Proceedings of THE IEEE, VOL.
electronic, mechanical, optical, quantum, chemical, 86, NO.8, August 1998, pp.1721-1732
biological, etc. In the same way as past [3] Long-Sheng FAN, Yu-Chong TAI, Richard
development of MEMS technology pushed S.Muller, “Integrated Movable Micromechanical
commercialization, such new development will Structures for Sensors and Actuators”, IEEE
lead to new products to solve problems in the Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol.35, No.6,
future society. June 1988, pp.724-730
[4] Mehran Mehregany, Kaighan J. Gabriel,
0.1 1 10 100 1000nm William S. N. Trimmer, “Integrated Fabrication of
Polysilicon Mechanisms”, IEEE Transactions on
nano technology region micro reactor Electron Devices, Vol.35, No.6, 1988, pp.719-723
SPM manipulation by localized electric field
Laser tweezers multi-probe, nanogripper
[5] K.E. Petersen, “Silicon as a mechanical
material”, Proc.IEEE, vol. 70, p. 420, 1982
atom/molecule handling MEMS tools and devices [6] K.J. Gabriel, “Engineering microscopic
machines”, Sci. Amer., vol. 260, no. 9, pp.118-121,
bottom-up approach nano system top-down approach Sept. 1995
(from science to based on both top-down (miniaturization [7] R. N. Candler W.T. Park, H.M. Li, G. Yama, A.
manufacturing technique) and bottom-up approaches towardnanoscale)
Partridge, M. Luts, T. W. Kenny, “ Single Wafer
self organization ultra precision machining Encapsulation of MEMS Devices”, IEEE Trans. on
Advanced Packaging 26, 227, 2003
[8] L.-S. Fan, Y.-C. Tai, R. S. Muller,
protein engineering nano lithography
supra molecular synthesis nano machining “IC-processed electrostatic micromotors”, Sensors
& Actuators, vol. 20, pp. 41-48, 1989
[9] N. Yazdi, F. Ayazi, K. Najafi, “Micromachined
Figure 6 Creation of nanosystems by Inertial Sensors”, Proceeding of IEEE, vol. 86, pp.
combining bottom-up and top-down 1640-1659 , 1998
technologies [10] P.F. van Kessel, L.J. Hornbeck, R. Meier, M.R.
Douglass, “A MEMS-Based Projection Display”,
Proc. IEEE, vol. 86, pp. 1687-1704, 1998
5. CONCLUSION [11] Mitsuhiro Yano, “Compact and stable
crossconnect 3-D MEMS switches and its system
The MEMS research has shown remarkable applications” IEEE/LEOS Internt’l Conf. on
development. Micromachining capability in Optical MEMS, Tkamatsu, Japan, 22-26 August,
micrometer scale has reached its maturity. Such 2004, p. 156-157.
technological advance enabled MEMS commercial [12] Martin A. Schmidt, “MEMS and Nano: The
products. In order to accelerate Path to Manufacturing”, Proc. of the 23rd Sensor
commercialization of MEMS, MEMS for Symposium, pp.1-3, 2006
high-added-value systems should be introduced to [13] S.D. Senturia, “Micro System Design”,
market as well as mass produced MEMS devices. Kluwer Academic Press Publ., Boston, USA, 2000
The cost effective production of various MEMS [14] Hideo Kotera, “Computer aided engineering
devices in rather small quantities will be achieved system for Micro Electro-Mechanical
by efficient design and optimization in MEMS Systems-MEMS-One-”, Proc. of the 23rd Sensor
CAE environment and by MEMS foundry service. Symposium, pp.5-8, 2006
In the future, MEMS technology will include [15] A. M. Fennimore, T. D. Yuzvinsky, Wei-Qiang
printing/replication processes and will be capable Han, M. S. Fuhrer, J. Cumings & A. Zettl,
of integrating nano elements into the system. "Rotational actuators based on carbon nanotubes",
MEMS will evolve into nanosystems that have NATURE 424, p.408, 2003
heterogeneous multiple functionalities.