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High-Aspect-Ratio CMOS Micromachining Process
Head: Gary Fedder
Contact: Gary Fedder (fedder@ece.cmu.edu)
Mailing address:
Carnegie Mellon University
Electrical & Computer Engineering
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Associated lab/group: Microelectromechanical Systems Laboratory
For more information, see this project's homepage.
Carnegie Mellon has developed an integrated CMOS- MEMS process in which electrostatically actuated microstructures with high-aspect-ratio (about 5:1) composite-beam suspensions are fabricated using conventional CMOS processing followed by a sequence of maskless dry-etching steps. The key feature of the technology is the ability to make composite metal/insulator microstructures with very narrow beam widths and air gaps, enabling lateral motion and electrostatic actuation with a wide range of electromechanical sensor and actuator design possibilities. The CMOS metallization and dielectric layers, normally used for electrical interconnect, now serve a dual function as a structural layer. Another important point is that no standard CMOS design rules are broken in the layout of the CMOS-MEMS devices, thereby ensuring working devices and compatibility with most CMOS processes.