Microsystems technology: objectives

This contribution focuses on the objectives of microsystems technology (MST). The reason for this is two fold. First of all, it should explain what MST actually is. This question is often posed and a simple answer is lacking, as a consequence of the diversity of subjects that are perceived as MST. The second reason is that a map of the somewhat chaotic field of MST is needed to identify sub-territories, for which standardization in terms of system modules an interconnections is feasible. To define the objectives a pragmatic approach has been followed. From the literature a selection of topics has been chosen and collected that are perceived as belonging to the field of MST by a large community of workers in the field (more than 250 references). In this way an overview has been created with `applications¿ and `generic issues¿ as the main characteristics

A contact lens with built-in display: science fiction or not?

Recent progress in microsystems integration technology such as ultra-thin chip packaging, stretchable interconnections, thin-film batteries and organic photovoltaics makes it feasible to incorporate various electronic components and transducers in extremely confined spaces and inside flexible or conformable objects. Can this ultimately lead to a genuine display in a contact lens? The major outstanding issues are reviewed

RF MEMS Switches for Mobile Communication

Switched capacitors based on radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) can enable a breakthrough in radio technology. Their switching principle is based on the mechanical movement of the plates of a parallel plate capacitor using the electrostatic force. The resulting difference in capacitance is used to switch an RF signal. This article discusses the device physics and application of these Microsystems

Introducing a new technology to enhance community sustainability: An investigation of the possibilities of sun spots

The introduction of the Sun SPOT, Small Programmable Object Technology, developed by Sun Microsystems has been depicted as providing a revolutionary change in cyber physical interaction. Based on Sun Java Micro Edition (ME), this sensor technology has the potential to be used across a number of discipline areas to interface with systems, the environment and biological domains. This paper will outline the potential of Sun SPOTs to enhance community sustainability. An action based research project was carried out to investigate the potential uses of these technologies and develop a prototype system as a proof of concept. The research will compare Sun SPOTs with similar technologies, provide an assessment of the technology, and propose a number of possible implementations of the technology to enhance community sustainability

Flexible microsystems using over-molding technology

Today’s world is full of intelligent electronics and with the development of flexible printed electronics technologies, different integration approaches are of high demand. The combination of electronics with polymer is a new technology platform as it integrates multiple functionalities into plastic products. This work shows preliminary results in the integration of electronic components (e.g. NFC chips and LEDs) using over-molding technology. A significant degree of freedom in product design is obtained resulting in a low-cost fabrication of flexible smart objects. The integration is achieved by using adhesion between flexible circuits and injection molded plastics. In order to check the adhesion performance between the flexible circuit and polymer injected, the polyimide foils with patterned copper cladding were over-molded with different engineering plastics into the form of peel test specimens. The technology was shown by the realization of a demonstrator, in which LEDs are wirelessly powered using an NFC antenna and a chip. The NFC antenna is executed in the copper layer and the LEDs and NFC chip are soldered on the foil. The antenna and NFC chip can harvest the energy from (e.g. a smartphone) in order to power the LEDs. This is a simple example of wireless energy transfer that could be used to power circuits and readout sensor values using NFC without the need of having an integrated battery

A micro-assembly station used for 3D reconfigurable hybrid MOEMS assembly - (Special Award).

International audienceMicro-assembly has been identified to be a critical technology in the microsystems technology and nanotechnology. The increasing needs of MOEMS (Micro-Opto-Electro- Mechanical Systems) for the microsystems conducts to development of new concepts and skilled micro-assembly stations. This paper presents a 3D micro-assembly station used for the reconfigurable free space micro-optical benches (RFS-MOB) which are a promising type of MOEMS. The designed parts of RFS-MOB are assembled by using the developped microassembly station. Experimental results are shown and validate the effectiveness of the micro-assembly station and the microassembly strategies

Porous silicon technology for integrated microsystems

With the development of micro systems, there is an increasing demand for integrable porous materials. In addition to those conventional applications, such as filtration, wicking, and insulating, many new micro devices, including micro reactors, sensors, actuators, and optical components, can benefit from porous materials. Conventional porous materials, such as ceramics and polymers, however, cannot meet the challenges posed by micro systems, due to their incompatibility with standard micro-fabrication processes. In an effort to produce porous materials that can be used in micro systems, porous silicon (PS) generated by anodization of single crystalline silicon has been investigated. In this work, the PS formation process has been extensively studied and characterized as a function of substrate type, crystal orientation, doping concentration, current density and surfactant concentration and type. Anodization conditions have been optimized for producing very thick porous silicon layers with uniform pore size, and for obtaining ideal pore morphologies. Three different types of porous silicon materials: meso porous silicon, macro porous silicon with straight pores, and macro porous silicon with tortuous pores, have been successfully produced. Regular pore arrays with controllable pore size in the range of 2µm to 6µm have been demonstrated as well. Localized PS formation has been achieved by using oxide/nitride/polysilicon stack as masking materials, which can withstand anodization in hydrofluoric acid up to twenty hours. A special etching cell with electrolytic liquid backside contact along with two process flows has been developed to enable the fabrication of thick macro porous silicon membranes with though wafer pores. For device assembly, Si-Au and In-Au bonding technologies have been developed. Very low bonding temperature (~200 degrees C) and thick/soft bonding layers (~6µm) have been achieved by In-Au bondi ng technology, which is able to compensate the potentially rough surface on the porous silicon sample without introducing significant thermal stress. The application of the porous silicon material in micro systems has been demonstrated in a micro gas chromatograph system by two indispensable components: an integrated vapor source and an inlet filter, wherein porous silicon performs the basic functions of porous media: wicking and filtration. By utilizing a macro porous silicon wick, the calibration vapor source was able to produce a uniform and repeatable vapor generation for n-decane with less than a 0.1% variation in 9 hours, and less than a 0.5% variation in rate over 7 days. With engineered porous silicon membranes the inlet filter was able to show a depth filtration with nearly 100% collection efficiency for particles larger than 0.3µm in diameter, a low pressure-drop of 523Pa at 20sccm flow rate, and a filter capacity of 500µg/cm2

An investigation on sun microsystems Jini technology

Sun Microsystems introduced the JiniTM Technology as its vision of the future in networking, where services can be registered dynamically and he used easily regardless of their location in the network. This is an investigation of feasibility on such claims made by Sun regarding JiniTM and comparisons with the directly similar Universal Plug and Play from Microsoft. The aim is to implement a simple application of the JiniTM Technology in order to demonstrate its capabilities as a contribution to the distributed computing research

Assembly of 3D reconfigurable hybrid MOEMS through microrobotic approach.

International audienceMicro-assembly has been identified to be a critical technology in the microsystems technology and nanotechnology. Increasing needs of MOEMS (Micro- Opto-Electro- Mechanical Systems) for microsystems conducts to development of new concepts and skilled micro-assembly stations. This paper presents a 3D microassembly station used for the reconfigurable free space micro-optical benches (RFSMOB) which are a promising type of MOEMS. Designed parts of RFS-MOB are assembled by using the developed micro-assembly station. The flexibility of the micro-assembly station provides the possibility to manipulate a variety of microcomponents. The RFS-MOB design enables to reduce adhesion forces effects during releasing operations. Experimental results are shown and validate the effectiveness of the micro-assembly station and micro-assembly strategies