MEMS Processing Capabilities

Up to 6inch MEMS ProcessingMEMS are transforming the world, changing the lives of our customers and our customers’ customers.

While we have extensive experience in both standard and non-standard substrates, we also work with the most cutting-edge substrates, including silicon, glass, polymers, and diamonds.

Micralyne has expert capabilities in the microfabrication, packaging, assembly and characterization of MEMS devices for its customers.

Our 4 inch to 6 inch MEMS capabilities include:

Substrates

  • Silicon (4″ and 6″ wafers) – Standard, Single and Double SOI, Epitaxial
  • Glass – Borofloat, 0211, Quartz, Pyrex, Fused Silica, Sapphire
  • Miscellaneous – Alumina, Piezoelectric Crystals, Ceramic, Diamond, AlN

Lithography

  • Contact Aligner 1:1
    - Minimum features: 1 μm (vacuum contact mode) & 3 μm (proximity mode)
    - Alignment accuracy: 1 μm (front side align) & 3 μm (front to back side align)
    - CD uniformity: 0.1 μm (1 sigma)
  • Stepper 5:1
    - Minimum features: 0.5 μm
    - Alignment accuracy: 0.1 μm (3 sigma)
    - CD uniformity: 60 nm (3 sigma)
  • Coating/Developing Systems.
    - SVG 8600 automated coat and develop tracks for 4″ and 6″ wafers, glass wafer compatible
    - Manual spinners
  • Resist Thicknesses (positive)
    - 1 μm to 15 μm
  • Special Materials
    - SU-8 (up to 50 μm), Polyimide, Protek

Plasma Deposition

  • PECVD Oxide (uniformity <5%, thickness 100A-7μm, good stress control)
  • PECVD Nitride (LF/HF) (uniformity <5%, stress control +/-50MPa)
  • PECVD OxyNitride
  • PECVD Amorphous Silicon

Plasma Etching

  • RIE of silicon, quartz, oxide, nitride, polysilicon, oxynitride, Ti, TiW, Nb
    - Wafer edge protection for KOH/TMAH mask etch layers
  • Deep trench oxide etch (for removal of oxide at bottom of silicon trenches, up to 10:1 aspect ratio).
  • DRIE – Deep Reactive Ion Etching (Bosch or single step with no scalloping, Cryo Process)
    - High aspect ratio (up to 50:1 aspect ratio, sidewall angle 89.5 to 89.8 degrees and etch rate up to 16 μm/min, etch depths <1μm to >1000μm).
    - Positive profile and isotropic etching.
    - Proven processes for heat sensitive membrane or mirror release etch.
    - Extensive experience with through wafer etches
    - Vacuum tape bonding for through wafer etches

Furnace Processes

  • Dry oxidation
  • Wet oxidation
  • Annealing (diffusion, bond anneal)
  • LPCVD low stress nitride (external partner)
  • LPCVD polysilicon (external partner)
  • Ion Implantation (external partner)

Metallization

  • Sputtering (multiple films stacks optimized for 0 stress, liftoff compatible processes, <5% uniformity)
    - Au, Cu, W, Pt, Mo, NiCu, Cr, Ti, TaN, Nb, TiW
    - Thickness: 100 Angstroms – 2 μm
  • E-beam evaporation (liftoff compatible processes, <5% uniformity)
    - Al, Ag, Au, Cr, Ni, Pt, SiO2, Sn, Ti
    - Thickness: 100 Angstroms – 2 μm
  • Electroplating
    - Au, AuSn (10-40 Sn wt%)

Special Process

Wafer Bonding

  • Glass-Glass fusion bonding
  • Silicon-Silicon fusion bonding
  • AuSn/Au eutectic solder bonding
  • Gold/Silicon eutectic bonding
  • Anodic bonding
  • Aligned bonding: 3 μm bond accuracy
  • Bonding can be performed in a controlled environment (vacuum capability of 5.5e-5 mbar, maximum tool force is 20kN)

Wet Processing

  • Silicon anisotropic etching (KOH, TMAH – depth control of target ± 0.5~3 μm , channel CD: target ± 1~ 3 μm, depending on etch depth)
  • Silicon isotropic etching (depth control of target ± ~3 μm)
  • Glass isotropic etching from 0.4 μm to 300 μm (depth control of ± 0.2 μm on a 16 μm etch, glass CD: 90 μm +/- 3 μm )
  • HF oxide sacrificial etch
  • Lift off
  • Thin film etching (metals and dielectrics)
  • Standard wet cleaning processes (acids, bases and solvents)
  • Advanced wet processes such as spin etcher, megasonic and recirculating baths
  • Critical point dryer

Characterization

Metrology

  • SEM with XPS
  • Thin film stress measurement with thermal cycling
  • Surface profilers
  • Film thickness measurement
  • Adhesion measurement
  • Optical profilometer
  • CD measurement
  • X-Ray flouorsence
  • C-V plotter
  • Sheet resistance
  • Optical and IR microscopes
  • Wire bond pull test
  • Scanning acoustic microscope
  • Surface analysis such as Auger, SIMS, AFM, FTIR, EDXS (external partner)

Testing

  • Automated probe test station
  • Customized testing of die or packaged device for KGD
  • Dynamic MEMS characterization using Doppler laser vibrometer
  • Wafer prober with dynamic capacitive MEMS characterization capability (resonance frequency, Q-factor, snap-in/snap-out voltages

Packaging

Dicing

  • Automated dicing machines to dice silicon or glass (single, double or triple stack), silicon/glass stack, alumina
  • Ability to dice mechanically released structures.

Wirebond

  • Automated wedge wire (Al/Au) bonding
  • Automated ball wire (Au) bonding
  • Wire bonding from die to submount, die to package, submount to flex cables.

Assembly

  • Discrete die level packaging
  • Spot welder
  • High vacuum furnace for getter activation and hermetic package sealing
  • Semi-automated die sorter
  • Die/flip chip bonder
  • Low temperature co fired ceramics
  • Solder die attach

How can you access up to 6 inch creative MEMS design and quality volume manufacturing at a competitive cost?

Focus on development and prototyping in a lower-cost environment first. Develop your solution on our complete in-house 4″ and 6″ lines. When your path to market is finalized, we can transfer the solution to our partners for scale up to 8″ wafers.

How do you get started?

Do you want to harness the capabilities of 4-6″ wafer processing immediately? Contact us today to get started.

Read more details about MEMS Assembly & Packaging at Micralyne.