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Tutorial on Micro Electro Mechanical

Systems (MEMS)

Bruce Kim
Department of Electrical Engineering,
Arizona State University

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MEMS
! What is MEMS
! Why MEMS
! Applications
! MEMS Fabrication
! MEMS Packaging
! Conclusion

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WHAT IS MEMS
! MEMS CONTAINS COMPONENTS OF 1
MICROMETER TO 1 MILLIMETER
! CONSTRUCTED TO ACHIEVE A CERTAIN
ENGINEERING OR FUNCTIONS BY
ELECTROMECHANICAL OR ELECTROCHEMICAL
MEANS.

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A MEMS structure

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A gear chain with a mite

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ELEMENTS OF MEMS
! TWO PRINCIPLE COMPONENTS

! SENSING OR ACTUATING ELEMENT

! SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION UNIT

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MEMS AS MICROSENSOR

Power
supply

Input Micro sensing Trans duction Output

signal element unit signal

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Background of MEMS
! The first monolithic integrated piezo resistive pressure sensor was
in 1971 at CWRU
! High volume commercial by National semiconductors in 1974
! First capacitive pressure sensor was built in 1980

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Why MEMS
! Small Size
! Light Weight
! Enhanced performance and reliability
! Array Of Devices
! Low Cost
! High Integration
! Added functionality

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SILICON BASED MICRO SENSOR MARKET

YEAR UNITS, REVENUE,mil Avg unit Revenue growth

1000 lion $ price,$ Rate,%

1990 5741 744.6 129.7 30.5

1991 6844 851.7 124.4 14.4
1992 7760 925.4 119.25 8.6
1993 8816 977.1 110.83 5.6
1994 10836 1116.2 103 14.2
1995 13980 1316.3 94.16 17.9
1996 18127 1564.4 86.3 18.9
1997 23514 1857.6 79 18.7
1998 30355 2199.8 72.47 18.4
1999 38792 2593.8 66.86 17.9

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APPLICATIONS
! In automotive Industries
! Health care Industry
! Aerospace Industry
! Telecommunications

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MEMS IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

! Air Bag deployment

! Antilock Braking Systems
! Fuel Pump Pressure and Fuel Injection Control
! Suspension Systems
! Tire Pressure
! Engine coolant Temperature and quality

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Accelerometers

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MEMS IN HEALTH CARE

! Disposable Blood Pressure
! Infusion pump pressure sensors --- to control the flow of
intravenous fluids.
! Respirators
! Kidney dialysis equipment
! Lung capacity meters

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A pressure sensor

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MEMS IN AEROSPACE
! COCKPIT INSTRUMENTATION – PRESSURE SENSORS FOR OIL, FUEL,
TRANSMISSION AND HYDRAULIC SYSTEM.
! SAFETY DEVICES – EJECTION SEAT CONTROLS
! MICROGYROSCOPES FOR NAVIGATION AND STABILITY CONTROL
! ALTIMETERS
! AIRSPEED MEASUREMENT
! WIND TUNNEL INSTRUMENTATION
! MICROSATELLITES

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Micro needles

•Biocompatibility
•Harsh environment
•Used Today: Space Missions
•used on shuttle flights
•RF interrogation
•JPL looking to add functionality

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MEMS IN COMMUNICATION

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OPTICAL MEMS

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MEMS

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FABRICATION

! SURFACE MICROMACHINING
! The structural layer has the desired thermal and mechanical
properties.
! The sacrificial layer supports the structural layer until it is etched

Si substrate

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Surface micromachining

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Surface micromachining

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Deposit and pattern

oxide oxide

1.
Si substrate

Sacrificial etch

3. cantilever
2. anchor
Deposit and Poly silicon
pattern poly

Si substrate Si substrate

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Fabrication

! LIGA – LIthography Galvanoformung [Electroplating]

Abformung[Injection moulding]
! Used to make very high aspect ratio micro moulds that can
be used for high for high volume manufacture

Plastic
structures

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Actuation of MEMS
! Thermal Forces
! Shape-memory alloys
! Piezoelectric crystals
! Electrostatic forces
! Electromagnetic forces

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Actuation- Thermal Forces

! Bimetallic strips are actuators
! Bonding two materials with distinct thermal expansions
! The strip bends when heated or cooled due to
difference in thermal expansion.
a1

a1>a2

a2

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Shape memory alloys

! The alloy tend to turn to their original shape at a preset
temperature.

SMA Resistance
(TiNi,Nitinolor) heating strip

Silicon cantilever beam

Constraint base

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Piezoelectric crystals
! Certain crystals (like quartz) deform with application of electric
voltage and vice versa.
! Displacement X = dVL/H

d=piezo coefficient V= applied voltage L = length

H= height of dielectric in between the electrodes

electrodes V
crystal
cantilever
Constraint base

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Electrostatic forces
! Electrostatic forces are more widely used as the
drivers for actuators
! Coulomb's law – force between two particles F =
q1q2/(4Πεr2)

Distance r
F

q1 q2

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Electrostatic forces in parallel plate

F
L
F = εo εr w LV/(2d)
V d

electrodes

A micro gripper

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MEMS FOR HIGH POWER

! A HIGH RATING IS OBTAINED BY USING MANY COMPONENTS OF LOW

RATINGS.
! USING ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTUATION METHOD

SERIES

PARALLEL

LOAD

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MEMS PACKAGING
! MEMS cannot be packaged using conventional IC
techniques
! Fragile MEMS structure and delicate membranes
! Must be packaged immediately to prevent stiction, etc.
! A hermetically sealed environment should be present.

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MEMS packaging

! At wafer level Release and packaging is done for

low cost
! At Die level they are packaged in ceramic cavity
packages. But they are expensive.

Singulate and
release

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MEMS packaging
! Efficient way is to do the release at Wafer Level
Packaging(WLP)
! Much smaller packages are possible

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packaging
! Wafer level MEMS packages used in industries
BULK WAFER CAPS

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BULK wafer cap

! Advantages
! Robust
! Hermetic
! Wafer Level

Used in accelerometers,gyroscopes,image sensors

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Micro assembled caps

ALIGN BOND SEPERATE

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PACKAGING OF EXISTING MEMS

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MEMS market Breakdown

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CONCLUSION
! MEMS is a fast growing technology
! Success of MEMS is in Design,Process and packaging
! Low integration devices
! Various packaging techniques present
! Wafer level packaging in necessary for low cost MEMS

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