F. Chollet, HB. Liu

A (not so) short introduction to MEMS

The (not so) short introduction to MEMS was originally supposed to become a book chapter in a handbook of a leading scientific editor, but was finally never published. At that stage, instead of trying to publish it through another company and the chapter finally ending in a book at an exorbitant price, we thought we could do a better job and propose it for free for all MEMS addicts around here that can not afford a more expensive one.

Of course we don't intend to replace the existing excellent MEMS references books with hundreds of page (at least for now :-), but we believe that this (not so) short introduction can be used as a support for a first experience in MEMS, either self-taught or even in a class environment. However, note that the initial purpose of the introduction has somehow skewed the choice of the section, and it is more intended for persons having already some experience in micro-electronics fabrication process.

Additionally, we would be thrilled if this book could be used as a nucleus for a free mems encyclopedia! If you have a topic that you would want to expand or contribute, do not hesitate to contact us!
Of course, although the chapter went through the editor's hands, it is certainly not exempt from errors, and we welcome all corrections!

Actually an online book has a big advantage over a print book - it is far less costly to do a new edition, be it a large change or a very small one!

Download v2.5 now! [PDF (1.8MB, 88 pages)] [LaTeX source] [BIBTeX reference]
(If you have difficulty downloading the file please contact us or comment in the forum. Thanks!)

A (not so) short introduction to MEMS

  1. Why MEMS?
    1. What is MEMS and comparison with microelectronics
    2. Why MEMS technology
    3. Major drivers for MEMS technology
    4. Mutual benefits between MEMS and microelectronics
  2. How MEMS are made
    1. Overview of MEMS fabrication process
    2. The MEMS materials
    3. Bulk micromachining, wet and dry etching
      1. Introduction
      2. Isotropic and anisotropic wet etching
      3. Dry etching
      4. Wafer bonding
    4. Surface micromachining
      1. Thin-film fabrication
      2. Design limitation
      3. Microstructure release
    5. DRIE micromachining
    6. Other microfabrication techniques
      1. Micro-molding and LIGA
      2. Polymer MEMS
    7. Problems
  3. Fundamentals of MEMS design and technology
    1. Physical scaling laws
    2. The principles of design and reliability
    3. MEMS design tools
    4. MEMS system partitioning
    5. Passive Structure
      1. Mechanical structures
      2. Fluidic structures
    6. Sensors technology
      1. Piezoresistive sensing
      2. Capacitive sensing
      3. Other sensing mechanism
    7. Actuator technology
      1. Magnetic actuator
      2. Electrostatic actuator
      3. Thermal actuator
    8. Problems
  4. MEMS packaging, assembly and test
  5. Challenges, trends, and conclusions
    1. MEMS current challenges
    2. Future trend of MEMS
    3. Conclusion
  6. Readings and References and
    1. Online resources and journals
    2. Other MEMS resources
  7. Bibliography
  8. Index

Roadmap

  • Expand the packaging chapter (probably before september...)
  • Make it a self contained Introduction and for example, include description of basic process (thin-film deposition...)
  • Add more explanation to the Anisotropic Etching section
  • Publish the line drawing in SVG

Changelog

version 2.5 - 05/2008 - 1862kB - 88 pages

  • Reorganized the chapter order
  • Added information on microfluidic channel and electro-osmosis
  • Added information in the mechanical structures on hinge
  • Improved the electrostatic actuation section
  • Added a few more problems
  • Added an Index (start to be really not too short...)

version 2.1 - 07/2007 - 1453kB - 74 pages

  • Added section in chapter 2 on mechanical structure (to be expanded...)
  • Added section in chapter 3 on patterning and pattern transfer
  • Added some problems in chapter 2 and 3 from original past exam papers :-) More to come! If you want the solution send us an email from your official account, and only Faculty member can apply :-)
  • Cleaned-up the look of tables

version 2.0.1 - 03/2007 - 1314kB - 56 pages

  • bug fix in the URL of the license (reporter: Gengis Kanhg)
  • Added BiBTeX reference to website as suggested by Gengis Kanhg

version 2.0 - 09/2006 - 1314kB - 56 pages

  • Rewrite and expansion of section 3 "How MEMS are made"
  • Style and spelling check throughout the complete chapter... more to go!
  • Conversion to LaTeX (which make sense with the book title, which is without a doubt, an hommage to the famous LaTeX introduction :-)
  • Publication of the text source

version 1.0 - 01/2006 - 986kB - 41 pages

  • Initial publication of a PDF converted MS Word document
  • Publication under a Creative Commons License BY-NC