For years, MEMS were made using systems created for semiconductor fabrication that couldn’t meet MEMS’ unique manufacturing challenges. memsstar and its ORBIS™ platform solved this problem.
The first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) were produced in the 1960s. Combining electrical and mechanical components at a microscale, MEMS have evolved over time to offer considerable performance benefits for a variety of applications, from automotive sensors to medical devices. With their small size, low power consumption, and high performance, MEMS have revolutionized numerous industries. However, their fabrication presents unique challenges that traditional semiconductor manufacturing equipment can’t adequately address.
For many years, MEMS developers had to make do with what was available. Because conventional semiconductor equipment wasn’t optimized for MEMS manufacturing, designers had to find workarounds to compensate for the systems’ lack of MEMS process adequacies, compromising device performance and functionality. Recognizing the lack of MEMS-optimized equipment, memsstar was founded specifically to help the MEMS industry meet the challenges of developing and manufacturing increasingly complex and integrated MEMS devices. This post will take a look at these challenges and how memsstar addresses them with its unique ORBIS platform.
Complex 3D Structures
MEMS devices often require the formation of complex three-dimensional (3D) structures, which are not a requirement for IC fabrication. Traditional semiconductor equipment is optimized for flat, two-dimensional layers, such as those found in integrated circuits.
The ORBIS platform is designed to handle the creation of intricate 3D structures essential for MEMS devices. This adaptability is achieved through advanced etching and deposition techniques that allow precise control over the geometry and dimensions of the MEMS components. ORBIS processes can create high-aspect-ratio structures with the precision – both vertical and lateral – necessary for MEMS functionality and optimized performance.
Material Diversity in MEMS Devices
MEMS devices may use a broader range of materials, including metals, polymers, and ceramics, unlike ICs, which predominantly use silicon, oxide and a few other materials. The need to process these diverse materials with high fidelity poses a significant challenge for traditional semiconductor equipment.
The ORBIS platform supports a wide range of materials used in MEMS fabrication. Its flexible processing capabilities ensure that various materials can be integrated seamlessly, enabling the production of complex, multi-material MEMS devices. ORBIS’s ability to perform selective etching and deposition on different materials allows for the precise layering and patterning required for functional MEMS components, accommodating materials with different thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties.
Batch Size and Yield
MEMS production often involves smaller batch sizes and volumes compared to the high-volume production of ICs. This difference affects the cost and efficiency of using traditional semiconductor equipment for MEMS.
The ORBIS platform is optimized for MEMS’ typically smaller volumes. Its design ensures high yield and cost-efficiency, making it a viable solution for both prototyping and full-scale production. ORBIS incorporates single wafer processing capabilities and flexible tooling configurations, allowing manufacturers to efficiently produce small to medium volumes of MEMS devices whilst maximizing yield. The platform’s scalable architecture supports the transition from development to mass production, ensuring that process optimizations can be easily implemented across different production scales.
ORBIS Platform Family
Over the years, memsstar has developed several incarnations of the affordable, high-value ORBIS platform, each designed to address specific aspects of MEMS manufacturing and to provide unique benefits to manufacturers. These include:
- Upgrade path from R&D to volume production
- Seamless lab-to-fab process transfer
- Compact footprint
- Low cost of ownership
ORBIS 3000
The ORBIS 3000 platform provides fully automated wafer handling and cluster capability, enabling full process integration for volume MEMS production. The system can be configured with up to three XERIC™ (oxide etch or silicon etch) or AURIX™ (surface preparation and deposition) process modules, in any combination. This flexibility enables users to begin with a single process module and add future modules to the cluster as their capacity, productivity or capability requirements increase.
ORBIS 1000
The ORBIS 1000 offers an excellent entry-level option for MEMS development. Ideal for low-volume MEMS production environments with automated single-wafer handling. The ORBIS 1000 platform can be converted and upgraded – with no investment loss – to a fully automated 3000 system, as demand for the user’s MEMS device increases. The fully automated ORBIS 1000 improves cycle time between wafers, optimizing productivity for commercial MEMS development and low-volume production.
ORBIS ALPHA™
The most recent addition to the ORBIS family, the ALPHA system targets institutions and universities involved in MEMS research and development (R&D), such as Germany’s Walther-Meißner-Institut for Low-Temperature Research (WMI). Based on memsstar’s production-proven continuous-flow processing technology, the ALPHA system was developed to enable next-generation process development on a cost-effective platform, enabling researchers to develop production-capable processes for the next generation of MEMS devices.
Looking Ahead
Adoption of MEMS technology is increasing rapidly, with the explosion of devices for mobile and IoT devices and their associated breadth of scale, connectivity and information exchange. memsstar’s ongoing engagement with customers in industry and academia enables the company to stay on top of these trends. The company’s skilled engineers continually work on enhancements to the platform to ensure the systems’ etch and deposition capabilities will continue to enable advanced MEMS development and manufacture through the 21st century and beyond.
