An introduction to

MEMSthe integration of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is

mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate through micro fabrication technology.

JAIMON CLETUS Assistant professor in mechanical engineering CET 7/12/12

MEMS Continued
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Used in automobiles, aerospace technology, biomedical applications, ink jet printers Range in size from a millionth of a meter(micrometer) to a thousandth of a meter (millimeter.)

Click to edit Master subtitle style

Three MEMS blood pressure sensors on a head of a pin 7/12/12

MEMS Continued
MEMS Advantages
The advantages of MEMS devices include Size High sensitivity Low noise Reduced cost Batch Processing The applications for MEMS are so far reaching that a multibillion dollar market is forecast. Key industry applications include transportation, telecommunications and healthcare.

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MEMS today&tomorrow
NOW
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FURURE
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Accelerometer Pressure and chemical flow analysis Inkjet print heads

Medical diagnostics Drug delivery

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MEMS Vs. Integrated Circuits (ICs)

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One way to look at it:

ICs move and sense electrons MEMS move and sense mass

Another:
ICs use Semiconductor processing technologies MEMS can use a variety of processes including Semiconductor but also Bulk, LIGA, Surface Micromachining

Packaging
IC packaging consists of electrical connections in and out of a sealed environment MEMS packaging not only includes input and output of electrical signals, but may also include optical 7/12/12 connections, fluidic capillaries, gas channels and

MEMS and ICs

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ICs ICs are based on the transistor a basic unit or building block of ICs. Most ICs are Silicon based, depositing a relatively small set of materials. Equipment tool sets and processes are very similar between different IC fabricators and applications there is a dominant front end technology base.

MEMS Does not have a basic building block there is no MEMS equivalent of a Transistor .Some MEMS are silicon based and use sacrificial surface micromachining technology. Some MEMS are hybrids (different wafer materials bonded), some are plastic based or 7/12/12 ceramic

Impact of Miniaturization
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Potential Positive Impacts

Job opportunities in new fields. Low-cost energy. Cost reductions with improved efficiencies. Improved product and building materials. Transportation improvements

Potential Negative Impacts

Material toxicity Non-biodegradable materials. Unanticipated consequences. Job losses due to increased manufacturing efficiencies.

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Typical MEMS Devices

Sensors
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Pressure Sensors Accelerometers Gyroscopes High Aspect Ratio Electrostatic Resonators Thermal Actuators Actuators

Actuators
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What are Sensors and Actuators?

Sensors
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Physical input Weak Signal

Actuator
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Output or processing Some physical change

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MEMS Economy

Worldwide MEMS Markets (in Millions of $) Microfluidics Optical MEMS RF MEMS Other actuators Inertial sensors Pressure sensors Other sensors Total

2002 1401 702 39 117 819 546 273 3900

2010 2241 1826 249 415 1826 917 830 8300

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Worldwide MEMS Market (2002 vs. 2010)

1010

1982 LIGA Process Introduced

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LIGA is a German acronym for X-ray lithography (X-ray Lithographie), Electroplating (Galvanoformung), and Molding (Abformung). In the early 1980s Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center in Germany developed LIGA. It allows for manufacturing of high aspect ratio microstructures. High aspect ratio structures are very skinny and tall. LIGA structures have precise dimensions and good surface roughness.

LIGA-micromachined gear for a mini electromagnetic motor [Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories]

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1993 First Manufactured Accelerometer

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In 1993 Analog Devices were the first to produce a surface micro machined accelerometer in high volume. The automotive industry used this accelerometer in automobiles for airbag deployment sensing. It was sold for $5 (previously, TRW macro sensors were being sold for about $20). It was highly reliable, very small, and very inexpensive. It was sold in record breaking numbers which increased the availability of airbags in automobiles.

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1994 Deep Reactive Ion Etching is Patented

In 1994, Bosch, a company from Germany, developed the Deep Reactive-Ion Etching (DRIE) process. q DRIE is a highly anisotropic etch process used to create deep, steep-sided holes and trenches in wafers. q It was developed for micro devices which required these features. q It is also used to excavate trenches for high-density capacitors for DRAM (Dynamic random-access 7/12/12 memory).
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Trenches etched with DRIE [SEM images courtesy of Khalil Najafi, University of Michigan]]

1979 HP Micromachined Inkjet Nozzle

Hewlett Packard developed the Thermal Inkjet Technology (TIJ). q The TIJ rapidly heats ink, creating tiny bubbles. q When the bubbles collapse, the ink squirts through an array of nozzles onto paper and other media. q MEMS technology is used to manufacture the nozzles. q The nozzles can be made very small and can be densely packed for high resolution printing. q New applications using the TIJ have also been developed, such as direct deposition of organic chemicals and view of a Close-up Schematic of an array of commercial inkjet printer biological molecules such as DNA inkjet nozzles head illustrating the nozzles
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[Hewlett Packard]

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Accelerometers
Applications:
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Air bag crash sensors Active suspension systems Antilock brake systems Ride control systems

Pressure Sensors
q Gauge Pressure
Sensors Sensors Sensors

q Differential Pressure q Absolute Pressure

Cantilever
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A cantilever is supported at one end (fixed). It has a length, thickness and width (geometry) When a force is applied to the end, it deflects

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Two Concepts of Cantilevers as Sensors

Response to Stress
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Use a laminate cantilever of dissimilar materials. One material expands or contracts at a different rate as another due to absorption, adsorption, heat .Resulting stress gradient (difference in stress) causes the cantilever to bend.

Response to Mass
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Cantilevers are coated with a material which is selective to what can adhere to it. the target material adheres to the

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Cantilever Sensors
As mass is added to the cantilever shifts the resonance frequency.

A gold dot, about 50 nanometers in diameter, fused to the end of a cantilevered oscillator about 4 micrometers long. A one-moleculethick layer of a sulfur-containing chemical deposited on the gold adds a mass of about 6 attograms, which is more than enough to measure. Craighead Group/Cornell University
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Applications of MEMS cantilever beams

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MEMS cantilevers as biosensors

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Actual System
Operation Modes The static mode is used to obtain information regarding the presence of certain target molecules in the sample substance. The surface stress caused by the adsorption of these molecules results in minute deflections of the cantilever. This deflection directly correlates with the concentration of the target substance. The dynamic mode allows quantitative analysis of mass loads in the sub-picogram area. As molecules get adsorbed, minimal shifts in the resonance frequency of an oscillating cantilever can be measured and associated to reference data of the target substance. Both modes can also be operated simultaneously. 7/12/12

http://www.concentris.com

Detection of a single E.coli Cell

AFM of E.Coli Cells Single Cell on Cantilever

Resonance Shift due to Single Cell From the webpage of Prof. Harold G. Craighead , School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University http://www.hgc.cornell.edu/biomems.html 7/12/12

Resonance Shift

School of Applied and Engineering Physics and the Nanobiotechnology Center, Cornell University

5 x 15um Cantilever with an E. Coli cell bound to immobilized antibody layer. 7/12/12

Black is the response before cell attachment, Red is after cell attachment.

Late 1990's, Early 2000's BioMEMS

Scientists are combining sensors and actuators with emerging biotechnology. Applications include
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drug delivery systems insulin pumps (see picture) DNA arrays lab-on-a-chip (LOC) Glucometers neural probe arrays microfluidics

Insulin pump [Debiotech, Switzerland]

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MEMS cantilevers as biosensors

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Bio MEMS Virus February 4, 2004 Detection

Purdue researchers create device that detects mass of a single virus particle Researchers at Purdue University have developed a miniature device sensitive enough to detect a single virus particle, an advancement that could have many applications, including environmental-health monitoring and homeland security. The device is a tiny "cantilever," a diving board-like beam of silicon that naturally vibrates at a specific frequency. When a virus particle weighing about one-trillionth as much as a grain of rice lands on the cantilever, it vibrates at a different frequency, which was measured by the Purdue researchers. 7/12/12

The next step will be to coat a cantilever with the antibodies for a specific virus, meaning only those virus particles would stick to the device. Coating the cantilevers with antibodies that attract certain viruses could make it possible to create detectors sensitive to specific pathogens

Challenges and Possibilities

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Fundamental and applied research Engineering and technological developments High Fidelity Modeling High Yield / Low Cost Fabrication Molecular manufacturing

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Thank you..

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