Proceedings of IMECE’01

2001 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition

New York, NY, November 11-16, 2001

University – National Laboratory Collaboration on MEMS Design Education

* # ** ***
Mohammad I. Kilani , Paul C. Galambos , Yousef S. Haik and Ching-Jen Chen
*
Graduate Student, Mechanical Engineering Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, kilani@eng.fsu.edu , 850-410-6225

#
Intellignet Micromachine Department, Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM 87185, pcgalam@sandia.gov, 505-844-2991

BioMEMS Group, Florida A&M University – Florida State University College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL 32310, haik@eng.fsu.edu, 850-410-6431

Dean, College of Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University. Tallahassee, FL 32310, cjchen@eng.fsu.edu, 850-410-6439

ABSTRACT
The paper describes the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
approach in educating graduate students in MEMS technology. The
approach is based on a collaboration project between the Florida
Agricultural and Mechanical University – Florida State University
College of Engineering (FAMU-FSU COE) and Sandia National
Laboratories (SNL). The project aims at developing a line of
electrostatically and magnetically actuated surface micromachined
pumps. The paper describes our experience in this collaboration
program and illustrates the educational aspects of SNL MEMS design
tools. The paper also describes the micropump designs developed in
the first phase of the project and presents an overview of the work to
be done in the next phase.
rejoin the Sandia design team to test and characterize the developed
products.
The paper gives an overview of SUMMiT surface micromachining
process and describes the software design tools developed for use by a
SUMMiT designer, paying special attention to the educational aspect of
these tools. The paper then describes the micropump designs developed
during the first phase of the collaboration project. The pumps were
designed so that they can be actuated electrostatically using standard
actuators or remotely by magnetic field using a technology that is
currently being developed at the FAMU-FSU COE [2]. The next phase
of the project will characterize and optimize the performance of these
pumps under various operating conditions.

I. INTRODUCTION: 2. SUMMIT PROCESS OVERVIEW

Sandia National Laboratories is a recognized leader in the
MEMS field. SNL has developed a unique polysilicon surface
micromachining technology, Sandia’s Ultraplanar Multi-level Mems
Technology (SUMMiT) [1], The latest version of this technology,
SUMMiT-5 allows building MEMS devices out of five levels of
polysilicon. SNL has also developed an integrated set of design tools
tailored to facilitate the development of MEMS products in
accordance to SUMMiT. SUMMiT fabrication technology and its
design tools are available to the industrial, academic and government
communities through Sandia Agile MEMS Prototyping, Layout
Tools, Education, and Services (SAMPLES).
Through SAMPLES, graduate students from the FAMU-FSU
COE were involved in the development of a line surface
micromachined pumping devices under joint supervision from
researchers at the FAMU-FSU COE and engineers at SNL. During
the first phase of a project, a graduate student spent one academic
semester in the MEMS and Novel Silicon Science & Technology
Department at SNL. The student attended two SUMMiT training
courses, learned to use the SUMMiT design tools, developed a
number of designs for MEMS products and submitted these designs
for fabrication. In the second phase of this project, the student will
SNL has developed SUMMiT to serve as a general purpose,
CMOS compatible, multi –level, polysilicon surface micromachining
process. SUMMiT has the general features of a standard surface micro-
machining process, including the deposition and lithographic patterning
of alternate layers of polysilicon as the structural material, and silicon
dioxide as the sacrificial material. The latest version of this process,
SUMMiT-5 provides five independent layers of low-stress polysilicon
and offers chemical-mechanical planarization to eliminate inter-level
interference. Further, the process is designed to be as general as
possible, and to be capable of supporting the monolithic integration of
microelectronics with micromechanical structures on a single silicon
wafer. Since the process was not optimized with the purpose of
fabricating any one specific device, the thicknesses of the structural and
sacrificial layers were chosen to suit most users.
The primary advantage of designing MEMS devices in a standard
process such as SUMMiT is that the designer and can concentrate on
the functionality of his design and need not worry about the details of
the sophisticated fabrication processes used to produce MEMS devices.
A set of design rules help the designer achieving successful fabrication
by ensuring that all design features cab be fabricated and that the
resulting device is free from parasitic effects.
3. SUMMIT DESIGN TOOLS
SNL has developed a number of proprietary software design
tools that for the purpose of increasing the productivity of SUMMiT
designers. In addition to productivity enhancement, these tools
proved to have a significant educational value. SUMMiT design
tools include (1) Standard Components Library, (2) Cross Sectional
Visualizer, (3) Design Rule Checker and (4) 3D Geometry Modeler.
All of these tools are built on top of AutoCAD, a popular highly
customizable design package with fulfilling set of drafting commands
suitable for mask layout production. AutoCAD’s front end has also
been customized to include a drafting layers corresponding to the
masks used for patterning the polysilicon or sacrificial oxide layer on
the target fabricated device. The following sections describe the
SUMMiT design tools and detail their role in the learning process of
the new MEMS designers.
3.1 Standard Components Library:
A standard components library has been built onto the SUMMiT
design interface to provide the designer with pick and place
capability for multi-use components. Library items are categorized
into sections titled electrical, actuator, optical, mechanical couplers,
energy storage and miscellaneous. The library includes designs for
simple components as well as designs for sophisticated devices that
were refined over the years. A great deal of MEMS expertise has
been built into the components libraries and they provide a significant
educational value for the novice designer. Figure 1 shows the
components available in the mechanical coupler section of the
library. To use a 12:1 transmission, for example, the designer selects
the 12:1 icon from the library and places it in the appropriate location
on his design. This generates the entire mask layouts needed to
produce the 12:1 transmission on the wafer. As each layer in the
drawing corresponds to the mask used for patterning the polysilicon
or sacrificial oxide layer on the fabricated transmission, a novice
MEMS designer can closely examine the different layers of the
transmission and track the thought process of the experienced
designer. This process is accelerated by the user interface that allows
turning layers on and off easily.
Figure 1. Mehcnical Couplers section of the SUMMiT
Components Library
3.2 Cross Section Visualizer:
The 2D Cross Section Visualizer [3] was developed to allow
SUMMiT designers to automatically generate an accurate cross
sectional view of target MEMS structures from the 2D mask layouts.
The visualizer extracts 2D mask geometry from the design file and
applies the process sequence to the mask set resulting in an accurate
cross section at the location specified by the designer.
Figure 2 demonstrates the result generated by the visualizer on a
simple electrical bridge connect selected from the electrical section of
the SUMMiT components library. The top part of the figure shows the
mask layout drawing as it appears to the designer. The bottom part
shown a cross section generated by the visualizer along the sectional
line A-A.
Figure 2. A cross section through an electrical bridge
connect generated by SUMMiT Cross Section Visualizer.
The visualizer provides a truly valuable educational tool to the designer.
Besides revealing the three-dimensional picture of the target MEMS
structure, the visualizer allow the designer to interactively step forward
and backward through each step in the fabrication process while
simulating the result of that step on the cross section. Because it is fast,
accurate, easy to use and fully integrated with the SUMMiT user
interface, the cross section visualizer has grown to become an
indispensable design tool for both the novice and experienced SUMMiT
designers.
3.3 Design Rule Checker
Design Rule Checks (DRCs) have long been used in the IC
industry to ensure size, spacing and overlap of geometry are correct for
the fabrication process. SNL has built design rule check functionality
into its SUMMiT design user interface [4]. This provides the designer
with the capability of checking that MEMS structure do not violate any
of SUMMiT design rules. The educational value of the DRC is evident.
The MEMS layout created by the designer includes 2D polygons, arcs
and circles objects placed on predefined layers. Using the DRC, a
novice designer can ensure that these layouts are correct for the process
before submitting to fabrication. This provides a tremendous saving in
time and money and increases the learner’s confidence.
3.4 3D Geometry Modeler
The SUMMiT 3D geometry modeler is an ambitious project that
aims at providing the MEMS designer with the capability of
automatically generating a 3D computer model of his/her design from
the 2D mask layout. The 3D modeler project is currently under
development and very promising results have been reported [5]. The
3D modeler is a valuable MEMS design educational tool whether used
alone or in conjunction with the components library. The 3D geometry
modeler works by interpreting the design layout based on SUMMiT
process definitions and the resulting solid model is an accurate
representation of the MEMS device including process artifacts such
as stringers and trapped oxide. The resulting 3D model is a solid
model that can be that can be used for visualization, analysis, rapid
prototyping, etc.
4. SURFACE MICROMACHINED PUMP DESIGNS
This section describes the designs of the surface micromachined
pumps developed in SUMMiT-5 during the first phase of the project.
The designs include a crescent pump, an offset planetary gear pump,
a spiral pump and a centrifugal pump. The availability of five levels
of polysilicon in SUMMiT-5 has enabled development of these pump
designs. Such pumping concepts were difficult to implement using
less advanced technologies with lower number of polysilicon layers.
The crescent pump and the offset planetary gear pump utilize a
ring gear driven by teeth on its outer surface to drive the pumping
mechanism through teeth on the inner surface of the gear. The inlet
and outlet ports are located inside the ring gear and the pumped fluid
is also maintained in its inner vicinity. These pumps provide two
features that make them suitable to microfabrication. First, the
pumps can operate with no valves thus simplifying their design and
improving their reliability. Second, fluid is contained in the vicinity
of the ring gear and is naturally sealed from the outer devices
including the drivers and actuators.
Poly2 and Poly3 that are anchored to the ground plane. The idler gear
is created from Poly2 and Poly3 with the pin joint defined by simply
creating the necessary circular polylines in the pin joint cut drafting
layer. Details of pin joint fabrication including undercut-and-refill
technique used to create the hub and the flanges of the pin joint are
transparent to the designer.
The ring gear is a basic component in both the crescent pump and
the offset planetary pump. It drives and supports the pumping
mechanism and seals the pumped liquid from outer components. Figure
4 shows a cross section across the wall of the ring gear. Axial roller
bearings defined in Poly2 and attached by pin joints to the ring support
provide lateral support to the ring gear. On the right and left sides of the
section, laminated Poly1 and Poly2 form the external and internal teeth
of the gear. Dimple cuts are created on Poly1 to form a seal along the
inside wall of the gear.
Poly 3

Poly 2

Poly 1

Anchor
4.1 Crescent Pump Dimple 1 Dimple 3
Ring gear
Figure 3 shows a schematic illustration of the crescent pump. seal vertical support
support
Anchor Axial roller
bearings
Dimple 3 lateral
support ring

The ring gear has internally cut teeth, which mesh with the teeth of an
externally cut idler gear that is set off-center from the ring gear. The
crescent part is fixed and divides the fluid flow between the idler gear
and the rotor. As the ring gear and the idler gear rotate in the counter
clockwise direction, the gear teeth come out of mesh in the left side
of the pump. This creates a partial vacuum, which draws fluid into
the pump. The fluid is then transferred to the right side of the pump
between the rotating gear teeth and the fixed crescent. As the rotating
gears mesh together, they cause an increase in pressure that forces the
fluid into the outlet line. A gear pump can discharge fluid in either
direction, depending on the direction of the gear rotation.
idler
inlet
Figure 4. Ring gear cross section
4.2 Offset Planetary Gear Pump
An offset planetary, surface micromachined gear pump was
designed in this work and is briefly described here. A detailed
description of the design can be found in Kilani [6]. The ring gear of
the pump has an inner pitch diameter of 1080 microns and is used as a
driver. The sun gear is eccentrically pivoted around point O and has a
pitch diameter of 372 microns. Planetary gear P1 and P2 have pitch
diameters of 348 and 360 microns respectively. It is noted that the
diameters of each of P1, P2 and the sun is approximately equal to 1/3
the diameter of the ring gear with P2 slightly larger than P1. The sum
of those diameters is equal to the pitch diameter of the ring gear.

outlet Ring Rotation

crescent Outlet
P2
ring gear
Sun
P1
O
Inlet

Figure 3. Crescent gear pump

(Note: Outer surface ring gear teeth not shown)

The implementation of the fixed crescent and the idler gear in Figure 5. An offset planetary gear pump in initial
SUMMiT is straightforward. The lower polysilicon level Poly0 is configuration. Ring gear outer teeth not shown.
used as a ground plane. The crescent is in laminated layers of Poly1,
 The pumping cycle is illustrated in Figure 6. As the ring gear Driving mechanism
rotates around its center, gears P1 and P2 rotate in a planetary-like
motion around the sun. As P2 approaches the position initially
occupied by P1, it forces the sun to rotate because the gap between Main gear (Poly3)
Driving gear (Poly3)
the right side of the sun and the inner wall of the ring (just enough to
accommodate P1) is smaller than P2. As the sun gear rotates around Housing
its offset pivot, this gap continues to shrink and P2 will continue to
push the sun gear until it makes one full revolution around its offset
pivot. This eccentric rotation of the sun gear produces a successively
increasing/decreasing (suction/compression) volume on either side of
the gears during each pumping cycle and provides the pumping
action necessary for the pump to operate.
Spiral rotation

P2 Sun P1

Inlet hole (Bush etch)

Exit Channel Bourdon tube pressure sensor
0 deg 45 deg 90 deg 135 deg
Figure 7. Major components of the spiral pump

A cross section through the pump is illustrated in Fig. 8. The

180 deg 225 deg 270 deg 315 deg
Figure 6. Pumping cycle in an offset planetary gear pump.
Angles indicate ring gear rotation. (Note: Outer ring gear
surface shown square to illustrate angular orientation)
4.3 Spiral Pumps
A line of spiral pump designs was developed in this work to
explore the viscous drag pumping mechanism. Spiral pumps are
rarely found in the macro world where screw pumps are mainly used
to utilize the viscous drag pumping mechanism. A screw helix is
difficult to microfabricate but it is quite easy to generated a spiral
wall using lithographic patterning. A spiral pump may be considered
to be the surface micromachined version of the screw pump. A spiral
pump is attractive for micro pumping applications since besides
being able to operate with no valves, the viscous drag pumping
mechanism is ideally suited for low Reynolds number applications;
an important characteristic of fluid flow at the micro scale.
lower polysilicon level Poly0 is used as a ground plane. Laminated
layers of Poly1 and Poly2 were used to define the blades of the spiral
and a dimple-1 cut was defined along the spiral blade to act as a seal.
The spiral blade is attached to a geared circular disk defined on Poly3.
When the disk is rotated the spiral blades drive fluid from the inlet hole
along the channels of the spiral and to the exit channel. Poly4 layer was
utilized in the design to create a top cover on the entire pump. This
cover is connected seamlessly to the housing walls, which are anchored
to the ground. Along with the housing walls, the cover provides a
continuous seal around the entire pump with the only exposed area
being in the region where the driving gears is coupled to the main gear.
Surface tension forces should keep the fluid sealed underneath the pump
housing due to the very small gap at the drive gear connection.
Poly-3 Main gear Poly-4 cover Pin joint Spiral blades Driving gear
(Poly-1 & Poly2)

A linear Archimedean spiral, defined by the polar coordinate

equation r=kθ is used to generate the blades of the spiral pumps. By
varying the parameter k and the initial and final values of θ, a number
of different spiral curves is produced. The resulting pump blades
have different channel widths and different starting and ending blade
radii. Figure 7 shows one design with k=12 microns, θi=4π and
θf=8.5π. The figure illustrates the major components in the spiral
pump design. An exit channel with Bourdon tube pressure sensor is
shown in this particular design.
Figure 8. A cross section through the spiral pump
4.4 Centrifugal Pump
A centrifugal pump design was generated as a byproduct of one
variation on the blade shape of the spiral pump. When the spiral blade
was defined according to a logarithmic rather that linear relationship,
the resulting blade shape was actually a vane such as that found on a
centrifugal pump. A radial array of these vanes attached to a geared
disk produced the centrifugal pump impeller. Figure 9 shows the
resulting pump produced. The housing of the pump is modified to
include a diffuser.
 chart that depicts the leakage pressure versus pump speed. Similar tests
may be performed to determine power consumption and output
pulsation.

The experiments performed can also help arriving at fundamental

relationships between pump geometry and its performance. This is
especially true for the spiral pump where four different pump designs
are developed to investigate this relationship. The experiments can be
augmented by numerical finite element analysis of the flow field inside
the pump. These studies will form a basis of a future optimization
analysis of the pumps produced.

6. CONCLUSION
The paper described the approach of the FAMU-FSU College of
Engineering in educating graduate students in MEMS technology. The
approach is based on a collaboration project with Sandia National
Laboratory which aims at developing a line of electrostatically and
magnetically actuated surface micromachined pumps. The paper
described Sandia Ultraplanar Multilevel Surface Micromachining
Process, SUMMiT and the design tools developed for this process,
Figure 9. Centrifugal pump design
emphasizing the educational aspect of these tools. Next, the paper
described the surface micromachined pump designs developed in the
first phase of the project and ended with an overview of the future work
5. POST FABRICATION
in the next phase.
The final phase of the micropump development project is to
characterize and optimize the pump designs. Following fabrication, a
number of post fabrication operations will be performed. Bosch
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