MSE 

693
Materials Science Technologies for 
Applications in Life Sciences

Microfabrication Techniques

Instructor: Vivek Verma
 Wet‐Bulk Surface Micromachining
• Features are sculpted in bulk
• Wet‐bulk machining can be used for
– Cleaning
– Shaping three dimensional structures
– Removing surface damage
– Polishing
• Silicon wafers
– Aspect ratio
• Microelectronics 1:2
• MEMS 1:400
– 4 inch wafer: 525 μm
– 6 inch wafer: 650 μm

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 Wet‐Bulk Surface Micromachining
• Miller indices
• Planes are described with parenthesis
– (100), (110), (111), (120)

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 Wet‐Bulk Surface Micromachining
• Miller indices
• Planes are described with parenthesis
– (100), (110), (111), (120)

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 Wet‐Bulk Surface Micromachining
• Miller indices
• Planes are described with paranthesis
– (100), (110), (111), (120)
– Set of equivalent directions is described with braces
{110}
• Particular direction is described with square bracket
– [100] normal to plane (100)
– Set of equivalent directions are designated with
angle brackets <100>

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 Wet‐Bulk Surface Micromachining
• Various planes in a {100}-orientation wafer

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 Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching
• Isotropic etchants are applied to all crystallographic   
directions at the same rate
–Usually acid etchants
– Lead to rounded features

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 Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching
• Anisotropic etching rates depend on exposed crystal  
orientation
– Specific orientations get etched much faster
– Alkaline materials are used at anisotropic etchants

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 Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching

• Isotropic agents are diffusion limited
• Anisotropic agents are rate limited
• Isotropic and anisotropic agents involve in oxidation of 
silicon followed by dissolution of the hydrated silicate

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 Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching
• Isotropic etching
Si + HNO3 + 6HF → H2SiF6 + HNO2 + H2O + H2
• Isotropic etching is used for
– Removal of work‐damaged surfaces
– Rounding sharp corners to avoid stress 
concentration
– Removing roughness

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 Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching
• Anisotropic etching takes place in hydroxide groups:

• Anisotropic etching results in geometric shapes
bounded by the slowest etching plane

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Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching

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Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching

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 Selection of Silicon Wafer Orientation

• [100]‐orientation 
silicon wafer has 
inward sloping walls of 
54.74°
• [110]‐orientation has
fastest etch rate

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 Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching

• Parameters include
–Undercutting (bias)
– Tolerance
– Etch rate
– Anisotropy
– Selectivity
–Over etch
– Feature size control
– Loading effects

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 3D Structures with Sacrificial Layers
• Micromachining is used

• Sacrificial layer is used that can be etched away to

leave undercut features
– Cantilever parts
– Free moving masses
– Bridges
– Diaphragms

• In 3D surface micromachining, features are built up

layer by layer
– Dry etching defines features in x-y plane
– Wet etching releases them from the plane by undercutting

• Shapes are restricted by crystallography of the substrate

• Example of micromachining

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 3D Structures with Sacrificial Layers

http://www.swri.edu/3pubs/ttoday/winter04/images/page9.jpg
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3D Structures with Sacrificial Layers

http://www.sfu.ca/immr/gallery/crm52‐01/hinge_3g_2.jpg

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 LIGA
• LIGA (German)
– Lithographie,
Galvanoformung,
Abformung
– Lithography electroplating
molding
– High aspect ratio process

• http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/LIGA

• High energy synchrotron

X-Ray or UV to pattern

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 LIGA

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 LIGA

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 LIGA

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 LIGA

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 LIGA

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 Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)
• Used for building high aspect ratio micro-
machined parts
• 20:1 aspect ratio is nicely achieved
• Near vertical walls
• Inductively coupled plasma
• Bosch process
– Alternating etching and passivation process
– Allows deeply etched trenches

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 Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)

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 Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)

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 Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)
• SF6 plasma is used for etching
• C4F8 is used for passivation
• DRIE can be used
– In silicon for microfluidic devices
– Producing nanocapillaries

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 HEXIL Process
Silicon walls are wet etched to create smooth surface

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 HEXIL Process
Phosphosilicate glass (PSG) is applied as sacrificial layer

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 HEXIL Process
• Polysilicon is deposited using CVD
– Annealing and polishing

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 HEXIL Process
• Another structural (polysilicon) layer is patterned and   
deposited such that it physically connects with first layer

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 HEXIL Process
• Sacrificial layer is removed using hydrofluoric acid

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