Acceleration threshold switches from an additive electroplating MEMS process

An acceleration threshold sensor fabricated with an electroplating technology on top of a CMOS signal processing circuit is presented in this paper. Manufacturing of the device is achieved using a standard low-cost CMOS production line and employing a specialized back-end process for adding the mech...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors and actuators. A, Physical Physical, 2000-08, Vol.85 (1), p.418-423
Main Authors: Michaelis, Sven, Timme, Hans-Joerg, Wycisk, Michael, Binder, Josef
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceleration
Additive technology
Applied sciences
Circuits and circuit components
Circuits ans circuit components
Electrical and electronic components, instruments and techniques
Electronics
Electroplating
Exact sciences and technology
Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy
Lithography, masks and pattern transfer
Mechanical instruments, equipment and techniques
Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology)
Micromechanical devices and systems
Physics
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Switch
Threshold
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An acceleration threshold sensor fabricated with an electroplating technology on top of a CMOS signal processing circuit is presented in this paper. Manufacturing of the device is achieved using a standard low-cost CMOS production line and employing a specialized back-end process for adding the mechanical sensor-elements. This production technology makes the system especially interesting for automotive applications in airbag systems or transportation shock monitoring systems. These applications demand smaller size, improved functionality, high reliability and low costs, factors that can be satisfied with this new technology. The initial additive electroplating technology (AET) has been improved by coating the basic structures with an electroplated alloy. Additionally, a specialized packaging procedure has been developed to hermetically seal the sensor-structures following their release after the sacrificial layer removal. The devices are finally SMD-packaged to allow for easy handling. Samples of the device have been tested extensively and have successfully proven its functionality.
ISSN:0924-4247
1873-3069
DOI:10.1016/S0924-4247(00)00377-0