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Dr. Thara Srinivasan
Lecture 2
MEMS Fabrication I :
Process Flows and Bulk
Micromachining
Picture credit: Alien Technology
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Lecture Outline
Reading
Reader is in! (at South side Copy Central)
Kovacs, Bulk Micromachining of Silicon, pp. 1536-43.
Williams, Etch Rates for Micromachining Processing, pp.
256-60.
Senturia, Chapter 3, Microfabrication.
Todays Lecture
Tools Needed for MEMS Fabrication
Photolithography Review
Crystal Structure of Silicon
Bulk Silicon Etching Techniques
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IC Processing
Cross-section
Jaeger
Masks Cross-section Masks
N-type Metal Oxide Semiconductor
(NMOS) process flow
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CMOS Processing
Processing steps
Oxidation
Photolithography
Etching
Chemical Vapor
Deposition
Diffusion
Ion Implantation
Evaporation and
Sputtering
Epitaxy
Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor
Jaeger
deposit
pattern etch
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MEMS Devices
Staple
Polysilicon level 2
Polysilicon level 1
Silicon substrate
Polysilicon level 1
Polysilicon level 2
Hinge staple
Plate
Silicon substrate
Support arm
Prof. Kris Pister
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MEMS Devices
Microoptomechanical
switches, Lucent
Analog Devices
Integrated
accelerometer Microturbine, Schmidt group MIT
Thermally isolated RMS
converter Reay et al.
Caliper
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MEMS Processing
Unique to MEMS fabrication
Sacrificial etching
Mechanical properties critical
Thicker films and deep etching
Etching into substrate
Double-sided lithography
3-D assembly
Wafer-bonding
Molding
Integration with electronics, fluidics
Unique to MEMS packaging and testing
Delicate mechanical structures
Packaging: before or after dicing?
Sealing in gas environments
Interconnect - electrical, mechanical, fluidic
Testing electrical, mechanical, fluidic
Package
Dice
Release
sacrificial layer
structural layer
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Photolithography:
Masks and Photoresist
dark-field light-field
Photolithography steps
Photoresist spinnning, 1-10 m spin coating
Optical exposure through a photomask
Developing to dissolve exposed resist
Bake to drive off solvents
Remove using solvents (acetone) or O
2
plasma
Photomasks
Layout generated from CAD file
Mask reticle: chrome or emulsion on fused silica
1-3 $k
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Photoresist Application
Spin-casting photoresist
Polymer resin, sensitizer, carrier
solvent
Positive and negative photoresist
Thickness depends on
Concentration
Viscosity
Spin speed
Spin time
www.brewerscience.com
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Photolithography Tools
Contact or proximity
Resolution: Contact - 1-2 m,
Proximity - 5 m
Depth of focus poor
Projection
Reduce 5-10, stepper mode
Resolution - 0.5 (/NA) ~ 1 m
Depth of focus ~ Few ms
Double-sided lithography
Make alignment marks on both sides of wafer
Use IR imaging to see through to back side
Store image of front side marks; align to back
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Materials for MEMS
Substrates
Silicon
Glass
Quartz
Thin Films
Polysilicon
Silicon Dioxide,
Silicon Nitride
Metals
Polymers
Wolf and Tauber
Silicon crystal structure
= 5.43
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Silicon Crystallography
Miller Indices (h k l)
Planes
Reciprocal of plane intercepts with axes
Intercepts of normal to plane with plane
(unique), {family}
Directions
Move one endpoint to origin
[unique], <family>
x x x
y y y
z z z
(100) (110) (111)
{111}
[001]
[100]
[010]
(110)
<100>
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Silicon Crystallography
Angles between planes,
between [abc] and [xyz] given by:
ax+by+cz = |(a,b,c)|*|(x,y,z)|*cos()
{100} and {110} 45
{100} and {111} 54.74
{110} and {111} 35.26, 90 and 144.74
0 1/2 0
0 1/2 0
3/4 1/4
1/4 3/4
0 1/2 1/2
)) 3 )( 1 /( ) 0 0 1 ((
1
) 111 ( ), 100 (
+ + =

Cos
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Silicon Crystal Origami
Silicon fold-up cube
Adapted from Profs. Kris
Pister and Jack Judy
Print onto transparency
Assemble inside out
Visualize crystal plane
orientations, intersections,
and directions
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{111}
(111)
{100}
(100)
{
1
1
0
}
(1
1
0
)
{100}
(010)
{110}
(011)
{110}
(011)
{
1
1
0
}
(1
1
0
)
{
1
1
0
}
(1
1
0
)
{100}
(010)
{110}
(011)
{110}
(011)
{
1
1
0
}
(1
1
0
)
{110}
(101)
{100}
(001)
{100}
(100)
{110}
(101)
{110}
(101)
{100}
(001)
{110}
(101)
[010] [010]
[0
0
1
]
[0
0
1
]
[100] [100]
[1
0
1
] [1
0
1
]
[0
1
1
] [0
1
1
]
[ 1 1 0 ] [ 1 1 0 ]
Judy, UCLA
Judy
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Silicon Wafers
Location of primary
and secondary flats
shows
Crystal orientation
Doping, n- or p-type
Maluf
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Mechanical Properties of Silicon
Crystalline silicon is a hard and brittle material that
deforms elastically until it reaches its yield strength,
at which point it breaks.
Tensile yield strength = 7 GPa (~1500 lb suspended from 1
mm)
Youngs Modulus near that of stainless steel
{100} = 130 GPa; {110} = 169 GPa; {111} = 188 GPa
Mechanical properties uniform, no intrinsic stress
Mechanical integrity up to 500C
Good thermal conductor, low thermal expansion coefficient
High piezoresistivity
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What is Bulk
Micromachining?
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Bulk Etching of Silicon
Etching modes
Isotropic vs. anisotropic
Reaction-limited
Etch rate dependent on temperature
Diffusion-limited
Etch rate dependent on mixing
Also dependent on layout and
geometry, loading
Choosing a method
Desired shapes
Etch depth and uniformity
Surface roughness
Process compatibility
Safety, cost, availability,
environmental impact
adsorption desorption
surface
reaction
slowest step controls
rate of reaction
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Wet Etch Variations, Crystalline Si
Etch rate variation due to wet etch set-up
Loss of reactive species through consumption
Evaporation of liquids
Poor mixing (etch product blocks diffusion of reactants)
Contamination
Applied potential
Illumination
Etch rate variation due to material being etched
Impurities/dopants
Etch rate variation due to layout
Distribution of exposed area ~ loading
Structure geometry
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Anisotropic Etching of Silicon
Etching of Si with KOH
Si + 2OH
-
Si(OH)
2
2+
+ 4e
-
4H
2
O + 4e
-
4(OH)
-
+ 2H
2
<100>
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Crystal orientation relative etch
rates
{110}:{100}:{111} = 600:400:1
{111} plane has three of its bonds
below the surface
{111} may form protective oxide
quickly
{111} smoother than other crystal
planes
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KOH Etch Conditions
1 KOH : 2 H
2
O (wt.), stirred bath @ 80C
Si (100) 1.4 m/min
Etch masks
Si
3
N
4
0
SiO
2
1-10 nm/min
Photoresist, Al ~ fast
Micromasking by H
2
bubbles leads to roughness
Stirring displaces bubbles
Oxidizer, surfactant additives
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Undercutting
Convex
corners
bounded by
{111} planes
are attacked
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Ristic
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Undercutting
Convex
corners
bounded by
{111} planes
are attacked
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Corner Compensation
Protect corners with compensation
areas in layout
Mesa array for self-assembly test
structures, Smith and coworkers (1995)
Alien Technology
Hadley
Chang
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Corner Compensation
Self-assembly microparts, Alien Technology
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Other Anisotropic Etchants
TMAH, Tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide, 10-40 wt.% (90C)
Etch rate (100) = 0.5-1.5 m/min
Al safe, IC compatible
Etch ratio (100)/(111) = 10-35
Etch masks: SiO
2
, Si
3
N
4
~ 0.05-0.25 nm/min
Boron doped etch stop, up to 40 slower
EDP (115C)
Carcinogenic, corrosive
Etch rate (100) = 0.75 m/min
Al may be etched
R(100) > R(110) > R(111)
Etch ratio (100)/(111) = 35
Etch masks: SiO
2
~ 0.2 nm/min, Si
3
N
4
~ 0.1 nm/min
Boron doped etch stop, 50 slower
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Boron-Doped Etch Stop
Control etch depth precisely with
boron doping (p++)
[B] > 10
20
cm
-3
reduces KOH etch
rate by 20-100
Gaseous or solid boron diffusion
At high dopant level, injected
electrons recombine with holes in
valence band and are unavailable for
reactions to give OH
-
Results
Beams, suspended films
1-20 m layers possible
p++ not compatible with CMOS
Buried p++ compatible
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Micronozzle
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Microneedles
Ken Wise group,
University of Michigan
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Microneedles
Wise group,
University of Michigan
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Microneedles
Wise group,
University of Michigan
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Electrochemical Etch Stop
Electrochemical etch stop
n-type epitaxial layer grown on p-type wafer forms p-n diode
p > n electrical conduction
p < n reverse bias current
Passivation potential potential at which thin SiO
2
layer
forms, different for p- and n-Si
Set-up
p-n diode in reverse bias
p-substrate floating etched
n-layer above passivation
potential not etched
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Electrochemical etching on preprocessed CMOS wafers
N-type Si well with circuits suspended from SiO
2
support beam
Thermally and electrically isolated
TMAH etchant, Al bond pads safe
Electrochemical Etch Stop
Reay et al. (1994)
Kovacs group, Stanford U.
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Pressure Sensors
Bulk micromachined pressure
sensors
Piezoresistivity change in
electrical resistance due to
mechanical stress
In response to pressure load on
thin Si film, piezoresistive
elements change resistance
Membrane deflection < 1 m
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n-type
epilayer,
p-type
substrate
(111)
R
1
R
3
Bondpad
(100) Si
diaphragm
P-type diffused
piezoresistor
n-type
epitaxial
layer
Metal
conductors
Anodically
bonded
Pyrex
substrate
Etched
cavity
Backside
port
(111)
R
2
R
1
R
3
Deposit
insulator
Diffuse
piezoresistors
Deposit &
pattern metal
Electrochemical
etch of backside
cavity
Anodic
bonding
of glass
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Only 150 400 900 m
3
Pressure Sensors
Catheter-tip
pressure sensor,
Lucas NovaSensor
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Isotropic Etching of Silicon
HNA: hydrofluoric acid (HF),
nitric acid (HNO
3
) and acetic
(CH
3
COOH) or water
HNO
3
oxidizes Si to SiO
2
HF converts SiO
2
to soluble
H
2
SiF
6
Acetic prevents dissociation of
HNO
3
Etch masks
SiO
2
etched at 30-80 nm/min
Nonetching Au or Si
3
N
4
Robbins
pure HNO
3
diffusion-limited
pure HF
reaction-limited
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5% (49%) HF : 80% (69%) HNO
3
: 15% H
2
O (by volume)
Half-circular channels for chromatography
Etch rate 0.8-1 m/min
Surface roughness 3 nm
Isotropic Etching Examples
Pro and Con
Easy to mold from rounded channels
Etch rate and profile are highly agitation sensitive
Tjerkstra, 1997
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Dry Etching of Silicon
e
-
+ CF
4
CF
3
+
+ F + 2e
-
Dry etching
Plasma phase
Vapor phase
Parameters
Gas and species generated ~
ions, radicals, photons
RF frequency, 13.56 MHz
RF power, 10s to 1000s W
Pressure, mTorr >100 Torr
sheath
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Plasma Etching of Silicon
Crystalline silicon
Etch gases ~ fluorine, chlorine-
based
Reactive species ~ F, Cl, Cl
2
Products ~ SiF
4
, SiCl
4
Plasma phase etching processes
Sputtering
Physical, nonselective, faceted
Plasma etching
Chemical, selective, isotropic
Reactive ion etching (RIE)
Physical and chemical, fairly selective,
directional
Inductively-coupled RIE
Physical and chemical, fairly selective,
directional
(physical)
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Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) with
inhibitor film
Inductively-coupled plasma
Bosch method for anisotropic etching,
1.5 - 4 m/min
Etch cycle (5-15 s)
SF
6
(SF
x
+
) etches Si
Deposition cycle (5-15 s)
C
4
F
8
deposits fluorocarbon protective
polymer (-CF
2
-)
n
Etch mask selectivity: SiO
2
~ 200:1,
photoresist ~ 100:1
Sidewall roughness: scalloping < 50 nm
Sidewall angle: 90 2
High-Aspect-Ratio Plasma Etching
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Etch rate is diffusion-limited and drops
for narrow trenches
Adjust mask layout to eliminate large
disparities
Adjust process parameters (etch rate
slows to < 1 m/min)
Etch depth precision
Etch stop ~ buried layer of SiO
2
Lateral undercut at Si/SiO
2
interface ~
footing
DRIE Issues
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DRIE Examples
Comb-drive Actuator
Keller, MEMS Precision
Instruments
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Electrospray Nozzle
Advanced BioAnalytical Services
G. A. Schultz et al., 2000.
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Vapor Phase Etching of Silicon
Vapor-phase etchant XeF
2
2XeF
2(v)
+ Si
(s)
2Xe
(v)
+ SiF
4(v)
Set-up
Xe sublimes at room T
Closed chamber, 1-4 Torr
Pulsed to control exothermic heat of
reaction
Etch rates: 1-3 m/min (up to 40),
isotropic
Etch masks: photoresist, SiO
2
, Si
3
N
4
, Al,
metals
Issues
Etched surfaces have granular structure,
10 m roughness
Hazard: XeF
2
reacts with H
2
O in air to
form Xe and HF
Xactix
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Etching with Xenon Difluoride
Post processed CMOS inductor
Pister group
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Laser-Driven Etching
Laser-Assisted Chemical Etching
Laser creates Cl radicals from Cl
2
; Si
converts to SiCl
4
.
Etch rate: 100,000 m
3
/s; 3 min to
etch 500500125 m
3
trench
Surface roughness: 30 nm RMS
Serial process: patterned directly
from CAD file
Revise, Inc.
Laser-assisted etching
of a 500500 m
2
terraced silicon well.
Each step is 6 m
deep.

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