Microrobotics and Self-Assembly for Hybrid MEMS Summer School, June 29-July 2, 2010 Besanon, France

Application MEMS
Microassembly for hybrid M(O)EMS devices
Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel FEMTO-ST Institute, UMR CNRS 6174, Micro Nano Science and Systems Department

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Outline

Lets MEMS the World! - introduction to MEMS MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology
Photolithography Surface and bulk micromachining Wafer-lavel bonding LIGA, stereolithography

Towards hybrid M(O)EMS

Monolithical integration it works, but Why microassembly? Microassembly approaches Hybrid integration on micro-optical table

Summary and conclusions

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Lets MEMS the World! MEMS - what is it?

MEMS refer to devices that have characteristic length in the range of 1m 1mm High-level integration of dissimilar functions from the most important domains of science, e.g. motion, sound, light Integration of mechanical and Components of Micro-Electro-Mechanical electrical components, sensors Systems (MEMS) and actuators on a common substrate (e.g. silicon) Fabrication using batchprocessing technologies (microtechnology or microfabrication technology)
Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Lets MEMS the World! MEMS - advantages

Integrated muliple functions High precision - improved performance Batch fabrication (wafer-level mass process)
o Reduced cost and time MEMS is the convergence site for many dissimilar technologies:
Mechanics gears, picots, hinges Electronics computation, control, communication Optics mirrors, prisms, analyzers, modulators Chemistry molecular detection and manipulation Biology/Medicine from diagnosis and treatment to DNA analysis and more

Reduced size
o Low power consumption o Portability o Easily and massively deployed/replaced o Little harm to environment

Versatility MEMS can serve the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, medicine

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Lets MEMS the World!

MEMS Example Pressure sensors
Automobile industry
Turbo-boost pressure Fuel-tank pressure Tire pressure Barometric pressure MAP

Human body
Pressure blood, heart, brain, uterus typically on catheter or probe tip

Environmental
Weather forecast

MEMS piezoresistive relative pressure sensor with flat 20m-thick silicon membrane and classical configuration of piezoresistors (two half Wheatstones bridges)
Source: J. Dziuban, Bonding in microsystem technology,

Industrial applications
Food processing

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Lets MEMS the World!

MEMS Example Accelerometers
Automobile industry
Airbag systems ESP, ABS systems

Military area
Impact sensing Trajectory control Security systems

Environmental Industrial
active suspentions

Consumer High-volume products: Left: ADXL250, surface micromachined two-axis lateral monolithically-integrated accelerometer Right: Intelligent three-axis accelerometer
Source: Analog Devices

enhence funcions of mobile phones toys, joysticks, virtual reality tools

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Lets MEMS the World!

Example: MEMS sensors in everyday live (pressure sensors and accelerometers only!)

MEMS they are around us!

Pressure sensors (since 1980) Accelerometers (since early 1990) Inkjet printers Flow sensors Deformable mirror devices Gas sensors Micromotors Microgears Lab-on-a-chip systems

Source: Bosch Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Lets MEMS the World!

Nintendo Wii (MEMS 3D accelerometers)

Top MEMS products

Apple, iPhone (MEMS 3D accelerometers) Laptops, cellphones (MEMS microphones) Texas Instuments, Digital Light Processing (MEMS mirrors)

HP, inkjet print-heads (MEMS inkjet nozzles)

Digital cameras (MEMS gyroscopes) Bosch, Airbag sensors Infineon, Intelligent Tires (MEMS pressure sensors)

Source: Forbes, 28.04.2008

(MEMS 3D accelerometers) Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Outline

Lets MEMS the World! - introduction to MEMS MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology
Photolithography Surface and bulk micromachining Wafer-lavel bonding LIGA, stereolithography

Towards hybrid M(O)EMS

Monolithical integration it works, but Why microassembly? Microassembly approaches Hybrid integration on micro-optical table

Summary and conclusions

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology MEMS evolved from microelectronics

Micromachining processes
Surface micromachining Bulk micromachining Bonding LIGA Stereolithography Micromolding
Focused Ion beam FIB
Laser ablation
Precise mechanical machining
o Electrical discharge machining, powder blasting

IC processes
Lithography Oxidation Thin-film depositon Diffusion Epitaxy others

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology Photolithography

Most basic process Transfer binary patterns onto substrate by use of photosensitive polymers photoresists (PR) PR: positive, negative, inversible

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology

Surface micromachining
Additive process based on deposition and selective etching of different materials Construction/Sacrificial layer concept Hight of structures typically 1-10m Basic materials: Poly-Si, SiO2 and Si3N4 (CVD), PSG, Al Microelectronic processing equipment
1. Deposition of sacrifical layer 2. Patterning of sacrifical layer by photolithography and etching 3. Deposition of construction layer

Stone bridge under construction wooden frame as sacrificial layer

4. Pattering of micropart by photolithography and etching 5. Etching of sacrificial layer - releasing Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology Surface micromachining Examples

Mirror moved by small rotating gear Multiple gear speed reduction unit
Source: Sandia National Laboratories

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology Bulk micromachining

Basic bulk-micromachined silicon structures Membrane Cantilever

Subtractive process based on direct bulk etching of substrate Dry or wet etching Isotropic or anisotropic etching
Via

Source: J. Dziuban, Bonding in microsystem technology, Springer

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology Bulk micromachining

Wet anisotropic etching of silicon Etch rate strongly affected by Different shapes of cavities etched crystallographic orientation of into (100)- or (110)-oriented silicon silicon (usually <1.5m/min) wafers through the same mask Common etchants: KOH, TMAH pattern

Source: J. Dziuban, Bonding in microsystem technology, Springer

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology

Examples:
High aspect ratio (~40) silicon trenches
Source: STS 80m

Bulk micromachining
Deep Reaction Ion Etching (DRIE) Dry plasma-based etch Arbitrary shapes High etch rate (1-10m/min) High aspect ratio (>20:1) Excellent selectivity to mask material (~120:1 for thermal SiO2)

Electrostatic X-Y microstage with comb-drive actuators

Spring

Comb-drive

Source: K. Laszczyk, Sensors&Actuators, in press

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology Bulk micromachining

Glass Anodic bonding compatible (Pyrex, borosilicate glass) Hybrid glass materials Photosensible glass Foturan

Microchannel =80m

Glass components of capillary electrophoresis chip with wet etched (49% HF) microchannels

Glass

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology Wafer-level bonding

Piezoresistive pressure sensor

Silicon chip

Si-glass anodic bonding Si-Si fusion bonding Au eutectic bonding Adhesion bonding others

Anodically bonded glass support Anodic bonding recipy: Surface hydrofilization + temperature + high voltage = strong chemical bond

1. Soft contact, heating

2. Applied voltage

3. Bond precursors

4. Almost finished

Source: J. Dziuban, Bonding in microsystem technology, Springer

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology

Examples:

LIGA (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformtechnik)

X-ray lithography in PMMA, electrodeposition and molding very high aspect ratio (>100) hight of structures up to 1000m mass production capability

Micro-Gear

Micro-optical flow sensor

Micro-helicopter assembled from LIGA components Dimensions: length 24mm, 2 micro-engines: 40000rpm
Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology LIGA process

Exposure through binary Cr mask PMMA removing

Adhesion and seed layers Conducting substrate Development of exposed resist

Metal micropart

Replication in plastic material Metal plating (microstructure filled with metal) Polymer

Surface polishing

Final product

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology

Examples:

Stereolithography

Lens Monomer (liquid)

UV laser beam

Micro-submarine for inspection of microfluidic systems (human artery?) Dimensions: 4x0.8mm, length 24mm Can be equipped with camera and sensors
Source: Micro Tech

Polimer (solid)

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Outline

Lets MEMS the World! - introduction to MEMS MEMS kitchen microfabrication technology
Photolithography Surface and bulk micromachining Wafer-lavel bonding LIGA, stereolithography

Towards hybrid M(O)EMS

Monolithical integration it works, but Why microassembly? Microassembly approaches Hybrid integration on micro-optical table

Summary and conclusions

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid M(O)EMS Monolithical integration it works

batch-fabriaction of complex micromechanism without any assembly pre-alignement on layout of photolithographic masks planar or vertical Integration of micro-optical elements, positioners, actuators (in-plane and out-ofplane) and opto-electronics on one substrate

Example: Six gear-chain

Source: Sandia National Laboratories

Example: Pickup head for optical data storage

Source: Lin et al, Optics Letters, Vo. 21, No.2

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid M(O)EMS Monolithical integration it works but Technological compromises and limitations
High development costs to find compatible processes and materials Yield losses due to high mask counts and smaller wafer size Microoptics based mostly on diffractive components (efficiency?, stress-induced deformation?) Wafer dicing and chip encapsulation critical back-end steps

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid M(O)EMS

-Electronics

Why microassembly?
Micro-components from different sources, fabricated with optimized technology Possible combination of incompatibile materials or processes Integration of complex 3D devices Excellent tool for building of prototypes or proof-onprinciple systems

-Optics

-Mechanics

Strong demand for microassembly of hybrid MEMS: heterogenious microstructures are fabricated separately on different wafers and then distributed on target substrate with mprecision.
Source: Cohn et al, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 3511, 2 (1998)

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid MEMS - Why microassembly?

Example building a prototype of micromachined laser scanning confocal microscope (SCOMOC)

Electrostatic Z- scanner integrated with a glass microlens (changing of focal plane)

G1 V2

V3

V1

Principal difficulty: monolithic integration of glass microlens with movable platforms of silicon actuators
Source: Bargiel et al, Photonics Europe, 2006

V4

G2

Electrostatic comb-drive X-Y scanner integrated with a glass microlens (in-plane raster scanning)

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid MEMS - Why microassembly?

Example building a prototype of micromachined laser scanning confocal microscope (SCOMOC)

Technological challenge
Standard bulk micromachining of (100)-oriented Si wafer Non-standard glass micromachining
o anodic bonding in vacuum (350oC, 0.9kV) o thermal reflow (600-800oC), o mechanical polishing

Flow-chart of Z-scanner fabrication process

Problems: low yield due to thermally induced stress and wafers breakage

Microassembly of glass microlens reduced by factor 2 the number of processes of Zscanner fabrication

Microassembly of glass microlens?

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid MEMS - Why microassembly?

Example towards prototype of micromachined laser scanning confocal microscope (SCOMOC)

Result
Successful microassembly of glass ball microlens ( = 300 360 m) Microlens UV gluing or direct thermal bonding Time- and cost-efficient solution

Movable part of electrostatic actuator of Zscanner with microassembled ball microlens

Source: Bargiel et al, will appear at Eurosensors2010

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid MEMS - Why microassembly?

Example towards prototype of micromachined laser scanning confocal microscope (SCOMOC)

Concept of hybrid integration of glass microlens using microassembly

Movie: working prototype of X-Y microstage to be integrated with glass microlens

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid MEMS - Microassembly approaches

Three main strategies

Serial (sequencial) microassembly Parallel (batch) microassembly Self-assembly (batch)
Source: Beyeler et al, IROS2007

Serial microassembly micro pick and place process carried out manually with high precision micromanipulators or by robotic teleoperated stations

Microfabrication technology can provide both MEMS micromanipulators (active and passive) and dedicated substrates for microassembly tasks.

Surface micromachined nonactuated (pasive) microgripper

Source: N. Dechev et al., IROS2007, 2007

Source: MEMS Precision Instruments

Bulk micromachined actuated (active) microgripper

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Towards hybrid MEMS micro-optical table

Concept of micro-optical bench formed in silicon substrate

Characteristics
Micro-parts hybrid integrated on specially prepared substrate Different 3D structures for passive alignment Especially interesting for hybrid integration of micro-optical and optical components
o Optical signal travels in the open air o Small beam-atmosphere interactions o Inherent advantage high index mismatch between the optical material and its surroundings

Source: OzOptics

Source: Micraline

Reducing development and manufacturing costs

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table Silicon MOT

Passive alignment concept DRIE bulk-micromachined substrate with mounting slots Optical elements in hybrid sol-gel glass on glass plates LIGA microtweezers (Sandia) Application: Miniaturized imaging system for microendoscopy

Mounting slot
Guide channel

V-shaped guide channel in mounting slot wall

Silicon spring
Source: Descour et al, J. Quantum Electronics, Vol.38, No.2, 2002

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table

Silicon holders

Silicon MOT
Passive alignment concept Bulk-micromachined silicon substrate (DRIE SOI) Optical elements integrated with silicon holders In-plane snap fasteners Active microgripper with electrothermal actuators

Mirror

Ball lens holder

Snap Fastener design

Source: Popa et al. IROS2007, 2007, San Diego, CA

Example: assembled microspectrometer with mirrors, ball lenses, beamsplitter, laser source and detector
Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table

Fasteners design

Silicon MOT
Passive alignment concept Surface-micromachined microparts 3 Mechanical joints: snap-lock, key-lock joint, interlock joint Dedicated passive microgripper (surface micromachined)
Passive microgripper

Source: N. Dechev, IROS2007, 2007, San Diego, CA

Example: assembled 3D micromirrors on electrostatic rotation micro-stage for optical cross-connect

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table

Reconfigurable Free-Space Micro-Optical Table (RFS-MOT)

Silicon MOT
Active alignment concept Hybrid integration of holders on universal Si baseplate Snap connector to ensure mechanical stability Reconfigurability

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table Technology of baseplate

Bulk micromachining of standard (100) Si wafers Combination of two standard processes of anisotropic etching (DRIE, KOH)

Source: Bargiel et al. JMM, 2010, Vol.20, No.4, 5012

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table Technology of holders

Bulk micromachining of silicon-on-insulator wafer (SOI) Combination of two standard processes of anisotropic etching (DRIE, KOH)

Source: Bargiel et al. JMM, 2010, Vol.20, No.4, 5012

Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Hybrid integration on micro-optical table Advantages

Separate fabrication of different optical elements using optimized technology (no process or material incompatibilities) Active alignment compensation of inaccuracy in optical element fabrication Possible integration of active elements (actuators) with holders

Challenges
Accuracy and repeatability of assembly process Stability of holder with integrated optical components, e.g. microlenses
Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel

Successful assembly of holders on RFS-MOT

Summary and conclusions

Basic limitations of monolithic MEMS have been indicated Strong demand of microassembly for optical MEMS due to high sensitivity to material incompatibilities Recent research in serial microassembly of hybrid M(O)EMS on silicon micro-optical tables has been briefly decribed
Micromachining technology supports the development of microassembly, providing MEMS microgrippers and special assembly platforms Serial microassembly of complex devices by active and passive MEMS microgrippers has been demonstrated

Acknowledgments
Prof. Philippe Lutz and his Group: Cedric Clvy, Kanty Rabenorosoa, Jean-Philippe Mascaro FEMTO-ST Institute UMR CNRS 6174, Automatic Control and MicroMechatronic Systems (AS2M) department in Besanon, France
Summer school 2010, Ph.D. Sylwester Bargiel