A REPORT ENTIRELY DEDICATED TO NEW MEMS PROCESSES AND MATERIALS

Athough MEMS technologies have not been driven by the same size demands as ICs, it doesn’t mean that MEMS manufacturing is just standing still.

The fast growing MEMS markets, now driven by consumer applications, are:

Size-driven: for demanding consumer applications like smart phones and laptops
Performance-driven: for high end applications like aerospace
Cost-driven: for high volume applications like cell phones, automotive and games consoles
New MEMS manufacturing, packaging technologies and specific materials are necessary for solving these issues. This report highlights the future challenges for MEMS production and packaging. From bulk micromachining to surface micromachining to SOI, and MEMS technology has been following a well-defined evolutionary technical roadmap with 3D integration being the next possible step. In the report, you will find manufacturing trends for the different MEMS devices in terms of processes, new packaging approaches, 3D integration, CMOS MEMS integration, new materials such as structured wafers.

WHAT WILL BE THE FUTURE OF MEMS MANUFACTURING

This report analyzes the current MEMS manufacturing trends and presents some clues for understanding the next evolution in terms of die size, cost, packaging.

Among other MEMS technologies to watch for the future, we have identified:

at the substrate level: SOI, glass, thin wafers, silicon
at the MEMS die level: getters, fusion bonding, release stiction, singulation, CMOS MEMS, DRIE, trench isolation
at the packaging level: TGV, TSV, pixel-level packaging, thin film capping, active capping
Wafer forecasts 2009-2015 by type of step (DRIE, wafer bonding, sacrificial etch, through Si vias, thin films packaging, CMOS MEMS, thin wafers) are estimated for all the analyzed MEMS technologies.

DRIE and wafer bonding are the technologies subject to major evolution: main reason is that both technologies are increasingly used for 3D TSV in the mainstream semiconductor business. Wafer bonding is the direct competitor for CMOS MEMS approach. For example, microbolometer players are more and more considering wafer bonding approach to stack the MEMS to the ROIC wafer. MEMS have been scarcely pushed by technological innovation. Most of the time, a MEMS is developed either by the use of micromachining to reduce existing sensors or the push is coming from system makers. As an example, lateral MEMS (accelerometers) have been developed by Leti because of military request from Thales. DRIE has been developed by Bosch because of automotive applications. The only exception is ADI that wanted to use its existing CMOS lines. Using CMOS is sometimes an historical choice (with the disadvantage that now the CMOS technology is evolving quicker than the MEMS technology). Indeed, CMOS MEMS is likely to be restricted to very specific applications where MEMS arrays will need very close electronic processing. For all other case, it will depend on MEMS product cycle time, flexibility, cost, integration, market demand and power consumption.

KEY FEATURES OF THE STUDY

The objective of this report is to provide an understanding of current challenges of MEMS manufacturing, packaging & materials. For each MEMS manufacturing step, bottlenecks and challenges will be highlighted. It is a 350+ slide report.

COMPANIES CITED IN THE REPORT

BIO, 36Deg, Accretech, AD, Aichi Steel, Air Products, AKM, Akustica, ALSI, Amkor, AML, APM, ASE, ASML, AST, Avago, Aviza, Ayumi, Bal-Tec, Baolab, Berliner Glass, BOC Edwards, Bosch, Brewer, Coventor, Dalsa, Dicon, Discera, Disco, Elpida, Entrepix, ePack, Epcos, EVG, FhG ISiT, FLIR, FocusTest, Freescale, FSI, Hamamatsu, Hitachi Metals, HP, IBM, IDEX, Idonus, Ikonics, IMT, Infineon, Invensense, Ixmotion, JDSU, Kionix, Knowles, LAM Research, Lemoptix, Leti, Lumedyne, Memscap, Memscore, Memsic, Memsstar, Memstech, MEMTronics, Micralyne, Micro Devices Laboratory, Microstaq, Mitsubishi Electric, Nanoplas, NEC Schott, NeoPhotonics, NovioMEMS, Okmetic, Omron, Panasonic Factory Solutions, Penta Technology, piezoVolume, Plan Optik, Polight, Primaxx, QinetiQ, QMT, RFMD, SAES, Samsung, Sandia National Labs, Santec, Semitool, Sensonor, Shell, Silex, Silicon Clocks, SiTime, Solidus Technologies, SPEA, Sporian Microsystems, STM, STPS, SUSS MicroTec, Tango, Tecnisco, Tegal, TEL, TI, TMT, TopCon, Toshiba, Tousimis, Tronics’, TSMC, Ulcoat, Ulis, UltraTechSteppers, Ulvac, Umicore, Veratag, Visera, Vi Technology, VTI, Xactix, XFAB, Xintec.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive summary     
Main MEMS manufacturing evolution

MEMS wafer forecasts by type of manufacturing 2000 - 2020 MEMS devices evolution 
Inertial (accelerometers, gyroscopes)
Magnetometers
Pressure
Microphones
Micro mirrors
Micro bolometers
Oscillators

MEMS historical & expected evolution             
VOA
Accelerometer for seismic
Gyros for consumer

Cost analysis       

Technical trends         
MEMS Manufacturing Trends
MEMS & ASIC interconnects
3D MEMS
CMOS MEMS
Standard Process to Technology to Product Platforms
MEMS Packaging Trends

Impact on MEMS equipment & materials    
DRIE
Sacrificial release
Release stiction
Deposition
cleaning
Lithography
Bonding
Singulation
Test
CAD tools
Glass wafers
SOI wafers
PZT
Resists

Conclusions                      

Appendices