Materials for MEMS and Microsystems

Presented By Sayyan.N.Shaikh

What are MEMS ?

MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems) or MST (micro system technology) It is a techniques to design and create miniature

systems.
The fabrication of devices with at least some of their dimensions are in the micrometre range.

MEMS applications
Mechanical Applications
Pressure sensors Accelerometers (air bag sensors)

Optical Application

o Optical switches o Digital Light Processing

Other applications
Commercial
Biomedical sensors Drug delivery systems Neurological disorders Telecom optical fiber switching Monitoring structural health Automotive safety

Military
Biochemical warfare detection system Inertial systems for guidance and navigation

Standard MEMS sensors/actuators

Piezo-resistors Comb drives Thermal expansion

Surface chemistry

MEMS materials
Many microsystems use microelectronics materials such as silicon(si),and gallium arsenide(GaAs)for the sensing or actuating elements. These materials are chosen mainly because they are dimensionally stable and there microfabrication and packaging techniques are well established in microelectronics. Other materials such as quartz and Pyrex, polymers, plastics and ceramics are used for MEMS and microsystems and not for micro electronics.

Substrates and Wafers

Substrate in microelectronics means a flat microscopic object on which fabrication process take place. In microsystems, a substrate act as single transducer besides supporting other transducers that convert mechanical action into electrical output or vice versa. Ex: Pressure sensors, Microactuators.

Wafers
In semiconductor,the substrate is a single crystal cut in slices from a large piece called wafer. Wafer can be silicon or other single crystalline material such as quartz or gallium arsenide. There are two types of substrate materials used in microsystems: 1. Active substrate materials 2. Passive substrate materials The common substrate materials used in MEMS are silicon(si),germanium(Ge),and gallium arsenide(GaAs).

Active substrate materials

The active substrate material primarily have there dimensional stability, which is relatively insensitive to an environmental conditions. Active substrate materials are primarily use for sensors and actuators in a microsystem. These materials includes silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide and quartz. Silicon is the one of very few materials that can be economically manufactured in single crystal substrate.

Material Applications
Crystal Growth Single Crystal Ingreding Crystal trimming and Diameter grinding Flat grinding Wafer slicing Wafer etching Polishing Wafer inspection

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