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Wafer bonding methods with ultra-thin intermediate bonding layers are critically important in heterogeneous 3D integration technologies for many NEMS and photonic device applications. A promising wafer bonding approach for 3D integration is adhesive bonding. So far however, adhesive bonding processes relied on relatively thick intermediate adhesive layers. In this paper, we present an adhesive wafer...
Blood plasma samples are widely used in clinical analysis but easy-to-use sampling methods for defined volumes are lacking. We introduce the first capillary driven microfluidic device that separates a specific volume of plasma from a blood sample of unknown volume. The input to the device is a small amount of whole blood in the range of 30–60 µl which results in a 4 µl isolated plasma sample within...
We present a novel and highly efficient wafer-level batch transfer process for populating silicon (Si) wafers with distributed islands of thin single-crystalline germanium (Ge) layers. This is achieved by transferring Ge from a Si wafer containing thick Ge dies to a Si target wafer by adhesive wafer-bonding and subsequent low-temperature Ge exfoliation.
This paper reports a fabrication approach for very high aspect ratio through silicon vias (TSVs). The metal filling of the through via holes is implemented by adapting standard wire bonding technology. TSVs with a diameter of 30 μm and aspect ratios between 10:1 and 20:1 have been fabricated. Basic electrical characterization and optical inspection have been conducted to verify the resistance and...
We here demonstrate, for the first time, the use of direct lithography in off-stoichiometry thiol-ene-epoxy (OSTE+) to fabricate a microdevice. First, the photolithographic property of OSTE+ is shown by using a photomask to create micropillars with an aspect-ratio of 1:10 in a 2 mm thick layer. Secondly, a three-layer OSTE+ microdevice containing in-/outlet holes, channels, and pillars is fabricated...
This paper presents a packaging approach for inertial sensors using wire bonding technology. The die is mounted exclusively by bond wires on the front- and backside to the package. Conventional single-side die attach to substrates, such as gluing, is abandoned. The approach is characterized by its novel and symmetric die attach concept as well as its simplicity of applying a standard wire bonding...
This paper reports on a novel miniaturized MEMS-based amperometric nitric oxide sensor that is suitable for a point of care testing device for asthma. The novelty lies in the combination of a high surface area microporous structured electrode, nano-structured Nafion that is coated on the side walls of the micropores, and liquid electrolyte. This combination allows detection of very low concentration...
Three-dimensional (3D) integration is an emerging technology that vertically interconnects stacked dies of electronics and/or MEMS-based transducers using through silicon vias (TSVs). TSVs enable the realization of devices with shorter signal lengths, smaller packages and lower parasitic capacitances, which can result in higher performance and lower costs of the system. In this paper we demonstrate...
This paper presents for the first time a novel concept of a MEMS waveguide switch based on a reconfigurable surface, whose working principle is to short-circuit or to allow for free propagation of the electrical field lines of the TE10 mode of a WR-12 rectangular waveguide. This transmissive surface is only 30µm thick and consists of up to 1260 reconfiguring cantilevers in the waveguide cross-section,...
This paper presents for the first time a novel concept of a MEMS waveguide switch based on a reconfigurable surface, whose working principle is to short-circuit or to allow for free propagation of the electrical field lines of the TE10 mode of a WR-12 rectangular waveguide. This transmissive surface is only 30µm thick and consists of up to 1260 reconfiguring cantilevers in the waveguide cross-section,...
This paper reports on the RF performance optimization of multi-stage distributed MEMS devices. The return loss (RL) is optimized, without substantially compromising in overall insertion loss (IL), for a 7-stage MEMS dielectric-block phase shifter by adjusting geometrical parameters of the distributed network, for the nominal frequency of 75 GHz as well as for performance within a 500 MHz and a 1 GHz...
We propose and demonstrate a novel one step method to integrate gold coated sensors with cartridges by dry covalent bonding. The cartridges are replica molded in an UV-curable off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) polymer, featuring an excess of thiol functional groups that covalently bond to the surface of gold coated sensors upon contact. The method is demonstrated by the integration of a gold coated...
This paper reports experimental results of a novel room temperature vacuum sealing process based on compressing wire bonded gold “bumps”, causing a material flow into the access ports of vacuum-cavities. The leak rate out of manufactured cavities was measured over 5 days and evaluated to less than the detection limit, 6×10−12 mbarL/s, per sealed port. The cavities have been sealed at a vacuum level...
This paper presents a novel gas microvalve design in which a flow control gate is opened by the pneumatic pressure and closed by a SMA actuator, allowing large flow control. The microvalves were fabricated using a novel wafer-level Au-Si eutectic bonding process for TiNi to silicon integration. The resulting microvalves demonstrate a record pneumatic performance per footprint area; a microvalve of...
In this paper we present wafer-level heterogeneous integrated hidden-hinge micro-mirror arrays for adaptive optics applications. The micro-mirrors are made of mono-crystalline silicon and fabricated by two cycles of adhesive wafer bonding on fan-out substrates with addressing electrodes. The fabrication scheme allows the down-scaling of the micro-mirrors in size, the up-scaling of the array size and...
In this paper we demonstrate the first high mirror-count 1-level spatial light modulator (SLM) chip with 1 million tilting micro-mirrors made of mono-crystalline silicon on analogue, high-voltage CMOS driving electronics. The device from a feasibility study shows good optical and excellent mechanical properties. The micro-mirrors exhibit excellent surface properties with a surface roughness below...
This paper reports on the realization of a novel method for batch transfer of multiple separate dies from a smaller substrate onto a larger wafer substrate by using a standard matrix expander in combination with adhesive wafer bonding and an elastic dice tape. We demonstrate the expansion and transfer of about 30000 chips from a 100 mm wafer to a 200 mm wafer with a 22 μm standard deviation of positioning...
This paper reports on the first integration of SMA wires into silicon based MEMS structures using a standard wire bonder. This approach allows fast and efficient placement, alignment and mechanical attachment of NiTi-based SMA wires to silicon-based MEMS. The wires are mechanically anchored and clamped into deep-etched silicon structures on a wafer. The placement precision is high with an average...
This paper reports a novel room temperature hermetic liquid sealing process based on wire bonded “plugs” over the access ports of liquid-filled cavities. The method enables liquids to be integrated already at the fabrication stage. Test vehicles were manufactured and used to investigate the mechanical and hermetic properties of the seals. A helium leak rate of better than 10-10 mbarL/s was measured...
This paper reports for the first time on multi-position RF MEMS digitally tuneable capacitors with large tuning range which are integrated inside a coplanar transmission line and whose tuning is achieved by moving the sidewalls of the 3D micromachined transmission line, with the actuators being completely embedded and shielded inside the ground layer. Devices with symmetrical two and three-stage actuators...
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