Micromachining

Micromachined MEMS Comb Drive

Micralyne has been involved in MEMS micromachining for over 20 years. The micromachining of MEMS involves the selective etching of silicon, glass, and deposited thin films to form three dimensional mechanical structures such as cantilevers, diaphragms, and channels. The functionality of these devices can be enhanced with the incorporation of such features as lenses, heaters, and valves.

Micralyne has expertise in both surface micromachining and bulkmicromachining:

• Surface Micromachining This technique involves the building up of layers on the surface of the substrate, utilizing low stress films such as oxide and nitride while etching out the sacrificial layer such as amorphous silicon
• Bulk Micromachining This technique involves etching away the bulk of the silicon wafer to create the desired microstructures. The etching of the silicon occurs by using either a dry etch (DRIE) or a wet (KOH or TMAH) etch for more of an anisotropic etch

Micralyne also has the capabilities to post process CMOS wafers, which integrate circuitry with MEMS technology.

Micralyne uses a variety of substrates ranging from silicon, ceramic, SOI to glass substrates.

Some examples of Micromachined MEMS devices are:

• MEMS Microphones
• MEMS optical switch systems
• Silicon optical bench systems
• Laser diode submounts
• Implantable drug delivery systems
• MEMS Sensors (gas, water, etc.)
• Print head nozzles
• IC chip testing
• Lab-on-a-chip

If you want to find out more information about MEMS micromachining, please Contact Us.