Fabrication processes, microelectromechanical systems

The fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), e.g. actuators and sensors, is also one of the promising applications for nickel films. Nickel is currently electroplated into preform molds. One typical process is the LIGA process, where pure or alloyed nickel films are... 

Our communications infrastructure relies heavily on advanced materials chemistries. From the manufacturing processes used to fabricate optical fiber cables to molecular beam epitaxy techniques for the creation of nanoscale heterostructures that enable many optical devices, innovations in materials chemistry have played a role. An example of a recent technological achievement that relates to optical communications systems is the MEMS-based (microelectromechanical system) Lambda Router. The Lambda Router is an optical system developed at Lucent Technologies for switching narrowly focused... 

MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) are systems with small device sizes of 1-100 pm. They are typically driven by electrical signals. To fabricate such systems materials like semiconductors, metals, and polymers are commonly used. MEMS technology fabrication is very cost-efficient. The structures are transferred by processes, which are applied to many systems on one substrate or even many of them simultaneously. The most important fabrication processes are physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), lithography, wet chemical etching, and dry etching. Typical examples for MEMS are pressure, acceleration, and gyro sensors [28,29], DLPs [30], ink jets [31], compasses [32], and also (bio)medical devices. 

Fabrication process flow of Ni stirrer in microfluidic channel. The left column shows the cross section and the right column the top view. Source Adapted from Agarwal, A.K., Sridharamurthy, S.S., Beebe, D.J. et al. 2005. Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, 14(6), 1409-1412. With permission.)... 

Fabrication process flow for structures shown in Figure 3.16. (Source Zeng, X. and Jiang, H. 2011. Journal cf Microelectromechanical Systems, 20(1), 6-8. With permission.)... 

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication developed out of the thin-film processes first used for semiconductor fabrication. To understand the unique features of the MEMS fabrieation proeess it is helpful to consider the semiconductor fabrication process. 

Professor Clifford L Henderson is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers the American Chemical Society, the International Society for Optical Engineering, the Materials Research Society, and the Electrochemical Society. He has authored more than 125 papers and holds 9 patents in areas related to his research. Dr. Henderson s research interests are in the areas of polymer science, thin films, nanotechnology, organic electronic materials, and miaosystem processing (i.e., the fabrication of microelectronic, optoelectronic, microfluidic, and microelectromechanical systems). 

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