NAGAR YUWAK SHIKSHAN SANSTHAS

RAJIV GANDHI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & RESEARCH

(SHALAKA HIRUDKAR, DIPTI CHOUDHARI, SWATI PAUNIKAR)

ABSTRACT: Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) is the technology of very small mechanical devices driven by electricity. It merges at the nano-scale into nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and nanotechnology. MEMS technologies can be used to produce complex structure, devices, and systems on the scale of micrometres. MEMS is the integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators and electronics on common silicon substrates through microfabrification technology. This paper reviews the scope of technology and the application it addresses. It includes a short analysis of future opportunities. This paper also describes the micromachining techniques used in the fabrication of MEMS. INTRODUCTION: Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems, or MEMS, is a technology that in its most general form can be defined as miniaturized mechanical and electro-mechanical elements (i.e., devices and structures) that are made using the techniques of microfabrication. MEMS devices generally range in size from 20 micrometers to several millimeters .they usually consists of a central unit that processes data, the microprocessor & several components that interact with the outside such as micro sensors. The one main criterion of MEMS is that there are at least some elements having some sort of mechanical functionality whether or not these elements can move The functional elements of MEMS are miniaturized structures, sensors, actuators, and microelectronics; the most notable elements are the microsensors and microactuators.

Microsensors and microactuators are appropriately categorized as transducers.

FIG: 1 Components of MEMS FABRICATION: Materials used for MEMS manufacturing are silicon, polymers,metals & ceramics. The fabrication techniques used in MEMS consist of the conventional techniques developed for integrated circuit processing and a variety of techniques developed specifically for MEMS. The three essential elements in conventional silicon processing are deposition, lithography, and etching, as illustrated in FIG: 2.

itself. In general, there are two classes of etching processes: Wet etching: the material is dissolved when immersed in a chemical solution Dry etching: the material is sputtered or dissolved using reactive ions or a vapor phase etchant. 3. Lithography Lithography in the MEMS context is typically the transfer of a pattern to a photosensitive material by selective exposure to a radiation source such as light. When a photosensitive material is selectively exposed to radiation (e.g. by masking some of the radiation), the radiation pattern on the material is transferred to the material exposed (the properties of the exposed and unexposed regions differ). MEMS manufacturing technologies:There are three general approaches to the fabrication of MEMS: surface micromachining, bulk micromachining, and LIGA (lithography, plating, molding). Surface micromachining is a process based on the building up of material layers selectively remaining or removed by continued processing. The bulk of the substrate remains untouched. In bulk micromachining, large portions of the substrate are removed to form the desired structure. Structures with greater heights can be formed because thicker substrates can be used. The bulk micromachining process is a key fabrication method used for MEMS-based photonic switching in the high-growth optical and wireless markets. LIGA processes combine IC lithography and electroplating and molding to obtain depth. Patterns are created in a substrate and then electroplated to create 3D molds. These molds can be used as the final product, or various materials can be injected into them. This process has two advantages. Materials other than silicon
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FIG: 2 -: Illustration of the basic process flow in micromachining can be used (e.g. metal, plastic) and devices with very high aspect ratios can be built. The fabrication process is usually a structured sequence of THREE BASIC PROCESSES:1. Deposition Deposition is a key building block in that it is the ability to deposit thin films of material (for subsequent local etching). MEMS deposition technology is classified in two groups: Depositions resulting from chemical reactions: chemical vapor deposition, electrodeposition, epitaxy, and themal oxidation. These processes exploit the creation of solid materials directly from chemical reactions in gas and/or liquid compositions or with the substrate material. The solid material is usually not the only product formed by the reaction. Byproducts can include gases, liquids and even other solids. Depositions resulting from physical reaction: physical vapor deposition, casting. The material deposited is physically moved on to the substrate (a chemical byproduct is not created). 2. Etching In order to form a functional MEMS structure on a substrate it is necessary to etch the thin films previously deposited and/or the substrate

can be used (e.g. metal, plastic) and devices with very high aspect ratios can be built. APPLICATIONS: 1. Retina Implant An example of a MEMS that encompasses the macro, micro and nano scales is the artificial retina prosthetic. A component of this MEMS is shown in the photograph below.

FIG 3: Prototype of a MEMS Retina Implant The component is a micro-electrode array used as a retina implant. The array mimics the task of the photoreceptor cells in the retina. These cells are destroyed in diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). This microarray interfaces with external components (acamera and microprocessor). The implant is placed on the retina inside (in vivo) the eye. The camera and microprocessor are usually contained within a pair of glasses worn by the blind person. This micro-system is referred to as a retinal prosthesis. Here's how the MEMS works (refer to the graphic below):

1. The camera captures the image and sends it to the microprocessor. 2. The microprocessor translates the image into an electrical signal. 3. A transmitter sends the electrical signal to the retina implant (microarray) via a receiver and interface module. 4. The electrical signal stimulates the electrodes on the microarray. 5. This causes the array to emit pulses that travel along the retinal neurons, through the optic nerve and to the brain. 6. The brain translates these pulses into flashes of light, which the brain uses to make the equivalent of low-resolution images. (The more electrodes in the array, the better the image.) 2. Pressure Sensors Pressure transducers have been used for decades to measure pressure and provide the output as an electrical signal.MEMS is now replacing many of these older designs that are assembled from many parts.The piezoelectric effect is commonly used,as well as the indirect effect based on piezoresistance.Piezomaterials can be incorporated into the MEMS device that will undergo electrical conductivity changes as they are stressed by pressure.Capacitance can also be used for pressure sensing.A thin capacitor plate must deform,or otherwise move closer to the opposing capacitor electrode when pressure is applied.Llikwise,resonant beam can be configured to sense the force resulting from pressure.
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about 1,300,000 individual mirrors that can move rapidly enough for videos and never fade since light is reflected off a non tarnishing surface.

FIG 4: MEMS Pressure Sensors 3. Air Bag accelerometers Air bag sensors depend on a accurate and very rapid measurement of deceleration. Since the automotive environment is probably the hardsheet domain in the high volume arena,the sensor must be very robust,reliable,and have a long life expentancy.This is ideal set of criteria for MEMS and is one of the reasons that this application has done so well.In fact,MEMS motion sensors,usually called accelerometers when applied to air bags,are the largest single market for MEMS.Each air bag unit employs two accelerometers for redundancy;both must interpret data as a crash and send fire signal before an air bag is deployed.Since more and more air bags are being added to vehicles,the MEMS count average increase each year.Some vehicles with side air bags have eight to ten accelerometers. 4. Projectors using MOEMS Most have seen and used digital projectors that have now became the standard way of presenting.While liquid crystal display(LCD) light valves can be used,the lightest,brightest and smallest projectors uses MOEMS from TI.MOMES known as optical MEMS.The TI MOEMS chip consists of an array of tiny(16um)square mirrors that are individually controlled by electrostatic charges.The standard chip,slightly larger than 1 in on a side,contains

Fig 5: TL DLP Package Cross-section ADVANTAGES: 1. Very small size, mass, volume 2. Very low power consumption 3. Low cost 4. Easy to integrate into systems or modify 5. Small thermal constant 6. Can be highly resistant to vibration, shock and radiation 7. Batch fabricated in large arrays 8. Improved thermal expansion tolerance 9. Parallelism REFRENCES: 1. www.wikipedia.org 2. Ken Gilleo,MEMS/MOEMS Packing 3. www.mems-exchange.org 4. www.scme-nm.org