ABSTRACT

Microelectromechanical systems are integrated micro devices or systems combining electrical and mechanical components and they are fabricated using integrated circuit(IC). Micro Electro Mechanical System is the study of small mechanical devices and systems .They range in size from a few microns to a few millimeters. MEMS field is called by a wide variety of names in different parts of the world: micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), micromechanics, Microsystems technology (MST), micro machines. Polycrystalline silicon, Aluminium and Germanium are the used to create MEMS elements. The manufacturing of MEMS involves Photolithiography, Silicon Micromachining and Excimer Laser Micromachining. There are three techniques involves in silicon micromachining namely deposition of thin films, wet etching and dry etching. MEMS has the superior advantages like ease of production and parts of alteration, higher reliability. MEMS used in the applications like accelometers, pressure sensors and microengines.

CONTENTS

Introduction History Manufacturing Process of MEMS Materials Photolithography Silicon Micromachining

Thin flims Wet Etching Dry Etching

Lift Off Excimer Laser Micromachining Fabrication Process In MEMS

Precision Machining Technologies Advanced Micro Systems Fabrication Technologies Emerging Silicon Micro Fabrication Technologies

Advantages Application of MEMS

Pressure Sensors Digital Light Processor

The Future Conclusion

MICROELECTROMECHANICAL SYSTEMS (MEMS)

INTRODUCTION Microelectromechanical systems or MEMS are integrated micro devices or systems combining electrical and mechanical components .they are fabricated using integrated circuit(IC) batch processing techniques and can range in size from micrometers to millimeters. These systems can sense control and actuate on the micro scale and function individually or in arrays to generate effects on the micro scale. The field of micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) is based on the use of integrated circuit (IC) fabrication techniques to create devices capable of acting as mechanical, electrical, and chemical transducers for applications in areas such as automotive and medical industries. It can be difficult for one to imagine the size of MEMS device. The general size of MEMS is on the order of microns (10 power -6 meter). The main characteristic of MEMS is their small size. Due to their size, MEMS cannot be seen with the unaided eye. An optical microscope is usually required for one to be able to see them. HISTORY First developed in the 1982s, the term micromachining came into use to designate the fabrication of micromechanical parts for microsensors. In 1987, the micromechanical structures were limited in motion. During 1987-1988, a turning point was reached in micromachining when, for the first time, techniques for integrated fabrication of mechanisms (i.e. rigid bodies connected by joints for transmitting, controlling, or constraining relative movement) on Si were demonstrated. During a series of three separate workshops on microdynamics held in 1987, the term MEMS was coined. Equivalent terms for MEMS are microsystems (preferred in Europe) and micromachines (preferred in Japan). MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF MEMS

Today, we have the capability to produce almost any type of MEMS devices. To fully understand what MEMS are, we must first understand the basic of the MEMS manufacturing process, fabrication process, and their material compositions.
MATERIALS

MEMS are generally made from a material called polycrystalline silicon which is a common material also used to make integrated circuits. Frequently, polycrystalline silicon is doped with other materials like germanium or phosphate to enhance the materials properties. Sometimes, copper or aluminium is plated onto the polycrystalline silicon to allow electrical conduction between different parts of the MEMS devices. Now, that we understand the material composition of MEMS devices.
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY

Photolithography is the basic technique used to define the shape of micro machine structures in the three techniques outlined below. The technique is essentially the same as that used in the microelectronics industry, which will be described here. The differences in the photolithographic techniques for Excimer laser micromachining and LIGA will be outlined in the relevant sections. Figure shows a thin film of some material (eg. silicon dioxide) on a substrate of some other material (eg. silicon wafer). It is desired that some of the silicon dioxide (oxide) is selectively removed so that it only remains in particular areas on the silicon wafer. Firstly, a mask is produced. This will typically be a chromium pattern on a glass plate. The wafer is then coated with a polymer which is sensitive to ultraviolet light called a photo resist. Ultraviolet light is then shone through the mask onto the photo resist. The photo resist is then developed which transfers the pattern on the mask to the photo resist layer. There are two types of photo resist, termed positive and negative photo resist. Where the ultraviolet light strikes the positive resist it weakens the polymer, so that when the image is developed the resist is washed away where the light struck it transferring a

positive image of the mask to the resist layer. The opposite occurs with the negative resist. Where the ultraviolet light strikes negative resist it strengthens the polymer, so when developed the resist that was not exposed to ultraviolet light is washed away a negative image of the mask is transferred to the resist. A chemical (or some other method) is used to remove the oxide where it is exposed through the openings in the resist. Finally, the resist is removed leaving the patterned oxide.

SILICON MICROMACHINING There are number of basic techniques that can be used to pattern thin films that have been deposited on a silicon wafer, and to shape the wafer itself, to form a set of basic microstructures (bulk micromachining). The techniques for depositing and patterning thin films can be used to produce quite complex microstructures on the surface of silicon wafer (surface silicon micromachining). Electrochemical etching techniques are being investigated to extend the set of basic silicon micromachining techniques. Silicon bonding techniques can also be utilized to extend the structures produced by silicon micromachining techniques into multilayer structures.

BASIC TECHNIQUES There are 3 basic techniques associated with silicon micromachining. They are:
1. 2. 3.

Deposition of thin films of materials. Removal of material by wet chemical etching. Removal of material by dry chemical etching. There are number of different techniques that facilitate the deposition or formation

THIN FILMS of very thin films of different materials on a silicon wafer. These films can then be patterned using photolithographic techniques and suitable etching techniques. Common materials include silicon dioxide (oxide), silicon nitride (nitride), polycrystalline silicon, and aluminium. The number of other materials can be deposited as thin films, including noble metals such as gold. Noble metals will contaminate microelectronic circuitry causing it to fail, so any silicon wafers with noble metals on them have to be processed using equipments specially set aside for the purpose. Noble metal films are often patterned by a method known as lift off, rather than wet or dry etching. WET ETCHING Wet etching is a blanket name that covers the removal of material by immersing the wafer in a liquid bath of the chemical etch ant. Wet etch ants fall into two broad categories; isotropic etch ants and anisotropic etch ants. Isotropic etch ants attack the material being etched at the same rate in all directions. Anisotropic etch ants attack the silicon wafer at different rates in different directions, and so there is more control of shapes produced. Some etch ants attack silicon at different rates being on the concentration of impurities in the silicon. DRY ETCHING The most common form of dry etching for micromachining applications is reactive ion etching. Ions are accelerated towards the material to be etched, and the etching reaction is enhanced in the direction of travel of ion. Reactive ion etching is an anisotropic etching technique. Deep trenches and pits of arbitrary shape and with vertical walls can be etched

in a variety of materials including silicon, oxide, and nitride. Unlike anisotropic wet etching, RIE is not limited by the crystal planes in the silicon. LIFT OFF Lift off is a stenciling technique often used to pattern noble metal films. There are a number of different techniques; the one outlined here is an assisted lift of method. A thin film of assisting material (eg. oxide) is deposited. A layer of resist is put over this and patterned as for photolithography, to expose the oxide in the pattern desired for the metal. The oxide is then wet etched so as to undercut the resist. The metal is then deposited on the wafer, typically by a process known as evaporation. The metal pattern is effectively stenciled through the gaps in the resist, which is then removed lifting off the unwanted metal with it. The assisting layer is then stripped off through leaving the metal pattern alone. EXCIMER LASER MICROMACHINING Excimer lasers produce relatively wide beams of ultraviolet laser light. One interesting application of these lasers is their use in micromachining organic materials (plastics, polymers, etc). This is because the excimer laser doesn't remove material by burning or vaporizing it, unlike other types of laser, so the material adjacent to the area machined is not melted or distorted by heating effects. When machining organic materials the laser is pulsed on and off, removing material with each pulse. The amount of material removed is dependent on the material itself, the length of the pulse, and the intensity (fluency) of the laser light. Below certain threshold fluency, dependent on the material, the laser light has no effect. As the fluency is increased above the threshold, the depth of material removed per pulse is also increased. It is possible to accurately control the depth of the cut by counting the number of pulses. Quite deep cuts (hundreds of microns) can be made using the excimer laser. The shape of the structures produced is controlled by using chrome on quartz mask, like the masks produced for photolithography. In the simplest system the mask is placed in contact with the material being machined, and the laser light is shone through it. A more

sophisticated and versatile method involves projecting the image of the mask onto the material. Material is selectively removed where the laser light strikes it.

Structures with vertical sides can be created. By adjusting the optics it is possible to produce structures with tapered sidewalls.

FABRICATION PROCESS IN MEMS

Plastics Technologies Glass Technologies Silicon Technologies Metals Technologies

Precision Machining Technologies

Jet Deposition Technologies Laser Sintering Technologies Jet Molding Technologies Electrical Discharge Machining Micro milling / drilling

3-D Micro Fabrication Technologies

Emerging Silicon Micro Fabrication Technologies

Deep Reactive Ion Etching Electroplated Photo resist Integration of Piezoelectric Devices

ADVANTAGES OF MEMS
There are four main advantages of using MEMS rather than ordinary large scale machinery.

Ease of production. MEMS can be mass-produced and are inexpensive to make. Ease of parts alteration. Higher reliability than their macro scale counterparts.

APPLICATION OF MEMS

Inertial navigation units on a chip for munitions guidance and personal navigation. Electromechanical signal processing for ultra-small and ultra low-power wireless communications. Distributed unattended sensors for asset tracking, environmental monitoring, and security surveillance. Integrated fluidic systems for miniature analytical instruments, propellant, and combustion control. Weapons safing, arming, and fuzing. Embedded sensors and actuators for condition-based maintenance. Mass data storage devices for high density and low power. Integrated micro-optomechanical components displays, and fiber-optic switches. for identify-friend-or-foe systems,

PRESSURE SENSORS

MEMS pressure microsensors typically have a flexible diaphragm that deforms in the presence of a pressure difference. The deformation is converted to an electrical signal appearing at the sensor output. A pressure sensor can be used to sense the absolute air pressure within the intake manifold of an automobile engine, so that the amount of fuel required for each engine cylinder can be computed. In this example, piezoresistors are patterned across the edges of a region where a silicon diaphragm will be micromachined. The substrate is etched to create the diaphragm. The sensor die is then bonded to a glass substrate, creating a sealed vacuum cavity under the diaphragm. The die is mounted on a package, where the topside of the diaphragm is exposed to the environment. The change in ambient pressure forces the downward deformation of the diaphragm, resulting in a change of resistance of the piezoresistors. On-chip electronics measure the resistance change, which causes a corresponding voltage signal to appear at the output pin of the sensor package.

DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSOR Digital Light Processor is made of a large matrix of micromirrors (DMD), each mirror corresponding to a pixel. These mirrors can change their orientation angle thanks to an electrostatic actuation. So, if you send incident light on the matrix, the mirrors reflect a quantity of light to the screen depending on their orientation, so orientation angle controls the luminance for each pixel.

Schematics of a projection system with a single DMD chip

There are several kind of systems using DLP devices. Some of them use 3 DMD, one for each color. One of them uses a single DMD device, with a color filter system. Since micromirror actuation is very fast compared to the persistence of light on the screen, it is possible during an image cycle to switch between each of the filters so that the mirrors send successively a dose of each color for the same pixel without possibility for human eyes to see the sequence. The advantages of DLP based system compared to existing ones, like plasma, LCD, or electronic beams are high resolution, and the best power ratio between light source and displayed light. Microtechnology also allows a very high productivity, reducing the cost of the devices as the market's demand grows.

THE FUTURE
MEMS technology has the potential to change our daily lives as much as the computer has. However, the material needs of the MEMS field are at a preliminary stage. A thorough understanding of the properties of existing MEMS materials is just as important as the development of new MEMS materials. Future MEMS applications will be driven by processes enabling greater functionality through higher levels of electronic-mechanical integration and greater numbers of mechanical components working alone or together to enable a complex action. Future MEMS products will demand higher levels of electrical-mechanical integration and more intimate interaction with the physical world. The high up-front investment costs for large-volume commercialization of MEMS will likely limit the initial involvement to larger companies in the IC industry. Advancing from their success as sensors, MEMS products will be embedded in larger non-MEMS systems, such as printers, automobiles, and biomedical diagnostic equipment, and will enable new and improved systems

CONCLUSION
Thus hereby we concluded MEMS which is going to be the future of the modern technical field in the growth of micro sensor based applications such as automotive industries, wireless communication, security systems, bio medical instrumentation and in armed forces.