Methods for the wafer-scale encapsulation of MEMS
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The packaging of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is one of the most important design considerations in taking a product from a research environment to a commercial application. It must not only provide a suitably clean and stable environment for the device, but it should also withstand any harsh post-processing steps (such as wafer dicing and wire bonding) needed to integrate the device into its final system. As a result, the cost of packaging is typically a large portion of the overall cost of any commercial MEMS product. Addressing these needs for electrostatic silicon MEMS, this work describes the development of multiple wafer-scale encapsulation techniques that allow for a wide range of devices to be fabricated in a single fabrication process. Expanding on the thin film, 'epi-seal' encapsulation technique developed jointly by Stanford University and Bosch, a packaging method was developed that makes use of a thick sacrificial oxide deposition and subsequent planarization to allow for large lateral deflection structures side-by-side with proven narrow gap devices, such as tuning fork resonators. In an effort to further increase the capabilities of wafer-scale encapsulation, a process combining fusion wafer bonding and epitaxial reactor sealing was also developed. Unlike many packaging techniques using wafer bonding, the overall package size is only slightly bigger than the device itself and results in a stable, clean environment for the device. The final encapsulated part consists of a single crystal silicon structure free of native oxide inside a single crystal silicon cap layer. In addition, this encapsulation can support numerous process variations, such as oxide-coated composite device structures and the first MEMS devices packaged at the wafer scale using the surface migration of silicon atoms.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Graham, Andrew Blake |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| Primary advisor | Howe, Roger Thomas |
| Primary advisor | Kenny, Thomas William |
| Thesis advisor | Howe, Roger Thomas |
| Thesis advisor | Kenny, Thomas William |
| Thesis advisor | Peumans, Peter, 1975- |
| Advisor | Peumans, Peter, 1975- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Andrew Blake Graham. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2010. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2010 by Andrew Blake Graham
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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