Collective fabrication of all-organic microcantilever chips based on a hierarchical combination of shadow-masking and wafer-bonding processing methods

This paper describes a new collective microfabrication process of all-organic microcantilever chips. This method is based on the hierarchical combination of shadow-masking and wafer-bonding processes. The shadow-masking combines deposition and patterning in one step thanks to spray-coating through a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of micromechanics and microengineering 2011-09, Vol.21 (9), p.095021-9
Main Authors: Dubourg, Georges, Fadel-Taris, Ludivine, Dufour, Isabelle, Pellet, Claude, Ayela, Cédric
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Bonding
Chips
Contact
Deposition
Electronics
Engineering Sciences
Exact sciences and technology
Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy
Mechanical instruments, equipment and techniques
Micro and nanotechnologies
Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology)
Microelectronics
Micromechanical devices and systems
Micromechanics
Patterning
Physics
Polymethyl methacrylates
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Yield strength
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Summary:This paper describes a new collective microfabrication process of all-organic microcantilever chips. This method is based on the hierarchical combination of shadow-masking and wafer-bonding processes. The shadow-masking combines deposition and patterning in one step thanks to spray-coating through a polymer microstencil that allows patterning of thermosensitive materials such as PMMA. The shadow-masking parameters have been optimized to obtain suspended microcantilevers characterized by a convenient thickness profile. The resulting PMMA structures were then transferred onto SU-8 chips by using an SU-8 wafer-bonding process. The effect of the UV exposure dose of both SU-8 layers in contact on the bonding quality has been investigated and optimized. With the optimized bonding process, we have achieved the large-scale transfer of microstructures with a yield of 100% and a bond strength of 50 MPa. These microcantilevers were also tested at resonance to determine Young's moduli of patterned polymers. The low values obtained (below 5 GPa) make these organic MEMS structures strong candidates for highly sensitive sensing applications when used in the static mode.
ISSN:0960-1317
1361-6439
DOI:10.1088/0960-1317/21/9/095021