Assignment

Micro and Smart System Technology (EC667)

Submission date 28th

November, 2013
Q1. Write a short note on microfabrication?
Q2. Define MEMS? What are the types and applications of MEMS?
Q3.Write a short notes on nanofabrication?
Q4.What are the methods available for fabrication of MEMS? Explain?
Q5.Explain cantilever sensors (mechanical mems) with a neat sketch?
Q6. Explain the working of magnetic actuator (magnetic mems) with a neat sketch?
Q7. Write a short note on thermal mems and thermal actuators?
Q8. Explain working of MEMS gyroscope with a neat sketch?
Q9. Explain Mechanical actuator used in mechanical mems?
Q10. Explain a) acoustic MEMS b) MEMS gyroscopes
Q11.What is the difference between a self-exciting and a modulating sensor? Give at least one
example of each used to sense the same quantity.
Q12. List the functions of interface electronic circuitry for microsensors.
Q13. Explain the two most widely used modes of digital transmission, with advantages and
disadvantages of each.
Q14. How can capacitance measurement technique be used in sensing applications? Give examples.
(The same question can be asked for resistance and inductance measurements)
Q15. What is the difference between anistropic etching and isotropic etching?
Q16. Describe anodic bonding technique. (or another kind of bonding technique)
Q17. Describe and compare different wafer bonding techniques.
Q18. What is an ultrasonic displacement sensor? Describe.
Q19. Describe thermal flow microsensors, principles of operation. Give examples.
Q20. Describe capacitate flow microsensors. Give examples.
Q21. Describe the operation principle for piezoresistive micro-accelerometers.
Q22: Illustrate an example for application of MEMS in biomedical that offers significant advantage over
the traditional method.
Q23: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using (1) Piezoresistors and (2) Capacitors as a
Signal transducer.
Q24: Explain the principal applications of microsensors, actuators and fluidics.
Q25: Explain why the change of the state of stress in a silicon diaphragm in a micro pressure results in a
change of its natural or resonant frequency.
Q26: Describe the four popular actuation techniques for micro-devices. Provide at least one major
advantage and one disadvantage of each of these techniques.
Q27: Determine the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor. The two plates have dimensions of L=W =
1000m with a gap d= 2m. The dielectric medium between two plates is air (r = 1)
Q28: A parallel capacitor is made up of two square plates with dimensions L=W = 1000m. Determine
the normal electrostatic force between these two plates if gap d= 2m. The plates are separated by
static air.
Q29: For the comb-driven actuator, determine the voltage supply required to pull the moving electrode
10 m from the unstretched position of the spring. The spring constant k is 0.05 N/m. The comb
Drive is operated in air. The gap d between the electrodes and the width W of the electrodes are
2m and 5m respectively.
Q30: Phosphorous is to be doped into silicon wafer substrate by a diffusion process. The substrate is
Heated at 1000C for 30 minutes in the presence of the dopant. Find the concentration of the
dopant with the depth x = 0.075 m beneath the substrate surface.
Q31 Q45: Solved Questions in MEMS & Microsystems Design and Manufacture (Example 4.1 to
Example 4.15); Chapter 4: Engineering Mechanics of Microsystem Design, pp. 101-146),
TMH 2002, thirteenth Reprint 2011.
Q46 Q50: Solved Questions in MEMS & Microsystems Design and Manufacture (Example 7.1 to
Example 7.5); Chapter 8: Materials for MEMS and Microsystems, pp. 243-262), TMH
2002, thirteenth Reprint 2011.
Q51 Q55: Solved Questions in MEMS & Microsystems Design and Manufacture (Example 8.1 to
Example 8.5); Chapter 8: Microsystem Fabrication Processes, pp. 278-295), TMH 2002,
thirteenth Reprint 2011.
Q56. Collect data on electrostatic comb-drives to answer thr following:
(a) Why in a comb arrangements many interdigitated fingers are used?
(b) Is the force vs. deflection characteristic of a cob-drive actuator linear?
(c) How much force and displacement can be generated by a typical comb-drive?
(d) Will a comb-drive work in aqueous environment?
Q57. A plane intercepts the x-,y-, and z-axes at 2,3,4 respectively. Obtain an equation and Miller Indices
For this plane.
Q58. The equation of a plane is given by 7x + 3y = 2. Obtain the Miller indices for a plane perpendicular
to this plane.
Q59. Compare and contrast the PVD schemes such as sputtering and evaporation.
Q60. List the process parameters affecting the deposition rate in various CVD and PVD schemes.
Q61. Compare the sequence of process steps in lithography and lift-off for patterning aluminium on an
oxidized silicon wafer.
Q62. Explain the dry and wet oxidation processes for growing oxide on silicon and give the relative
merits of each process.
Q63. Comment on the choice between positive and negative photoresist materials in lithography.
Q64. Suggest methods to avoid stiction caused by electrostatic actuation of RF-MEMS switch.
Q65. Explain the process steps involved in the bulk fabrication of Microsystems using LIGA. Bring out
the key advantage and limitation of this approach.
Q66. Modeling of RF MEMS
Which are the basic modeling methods that can be used in RF MEMS design? What are the
characteristic features of the methods?
Describe the analytic modeling of a parallel plate capacitor and the pull-in effect:
Draw a sketch of a spring-suspended two-plate capacitor.
Which forces are involved when you put on a voltage between the plates?
When does pull-in occur and why?
Explain why hysteresis arises.
Give examples of RF MEMS components where the pull-in effect is an advantage
or a disadvantage? Why?
Q67: Serial contact switch in an RF signal transmission line
Make a sketch on how you can implement a serial contact switch by a cantilever beam?
Describe the operation of the switch.
Describe and discuss the following design parameters:
Using common or separate actuation and signal electrodes
The relation between pull-in voltage, actuation voltage, stiffness of beam and damping with
respect to operation and switching speed
How to reduce damping
Effect of the contact resistance and the contact capacitance
Influence of material selection for the different parts
Influence of aging, - reliability issues
Q68. RF switch used in an RF transmission line:
Why do you need to use transmission lines for connecting components at RF?
If you have a lossless transmission line with characteristic impedance Z0 and load Z_load, - how
can you obtain a maximum signal transmission to the load?
What happens with the signal in case of an open or shorted transmission line?
Suppose a MEMS contact switch is placed serially in a transmission line having a characteristic
impedance of Z0 before and after. Compute the reflection (return loss) of the signal when the
switch is open (not conducting).
Q69. Shunt capacitive switch:
Make a sketch on how you can implement a shunt capacitive switch of type c-c beam.
Describe the operation of the switch.
Discuss and comment some of the important, critical design parameters for the switch
Thickness and type of dielectric material used for the capacitive switch
The relation between pull-in voltage, actuation voltage, stiffness of beam
and damping with respect to operation and switching speed
How to reduce damping
Influence of material selection for the different parts
Influence of aging and reliability issues
Q70.MEMS phase shifters:
In which applications can a MEMS phase shifter be useful?
How can you implement a 2-bit digital MEMS phase shifter?
How can you implement a phase shifter based on distributed MEMS capacitances? Which
parameters determine the obtainable phase shift?
Describe the operation of a reflection phase shifter. What are the benefits?
Q72. Beam resonators (c-c beam as a resonator)
Describe the structure and operation of a c-c beam used as a resonator.
Why do you put on a DC voltage on the resonator beam? What is the effect?
Which factors will influence the Q-factor of the c-c beam resonator and how can you increase the
Q-factor? How can you increase the resonating frequency?
Q73. Beam resonators (free- free beam as a resonator)
Describe the structure and operation of a free-free beam used as aresonator.
What are the advantages of using an f-f- beam compared to a c-c- beam?
Which are the critical parameters for implementing an f-f- beam with
optimal performance?
Q74. Comb resonator and spring-mass-damper modeling (Lateral comb resonator)
Describe the structure and operation of a lateral comb resonator.
Why do you put on a DC voltage on the shuttle? What is the effect?
Which parameters are critical for obtaining a maximum resonance frequency?
Q75.Modeling of spring-mass-damper:
Draw a sketch of a typical spring-mass-damper system.
Set up the transfer function. o Which physical parameters determine the resonance frequency and
Q factor of the system?
Show an electrical equivalent of the mechanical system?

Q76. MEMS filters (H-filter structure)
Describe the structure and operation of a micromechanical filter implemented as an H-structure.
Which factors determine the frequency and bandwidth of the H-filter?
Describe a typical procedure for designing such a filter, and how can the bandwidth of the filter
be changed in an easy way?



Q77. Mixer-filter structure:
Describe a combined mixer-filter structure.
Which are the main design parameters for this system, and how do they influence the operation?
How can the mixer-filter block be used in a general RF transceiver?
Q78: Tunable MEMS capacitors
What are the main methods for tuning an RF MEMS capacitor?
Describe how a 2 plate MEMS capacitor can be used as a tunable capacitor. What are the
restrictions, and which tuning ratio can be obtained?
Describe how a 3 plate tunable MEMS capacitor can be implemented? What are the restrictions,
and which tuning ratio can be obtained?
How does a tunable double air-gap MEMS capacitor function? How can you get the maximum
tuning range out of such a structure?
Describe principal features of an implementation.
Q79: Tunable comb capacitors:
Describe the structure and operation of a tunable comb capacitor.
What are the benefits of using such a structure compared to gap tuning?
Which constraints do you see?
Q80: RF MEMS inductors
How can MEMS inductors be implemented?
Give examples of in- plane (2-dimensional inductor) and 3D implementations.
Draw an equivalent circuit diagram of an RF MEMS inductor and discuss the various parasitic
contributions.
How can the stray components (parasitics) be reduced?
Which are the basic performance parameters of the RF MEMS inductors?
Describe important means for increasing the performance.
Q81: Integration of MEMS and IC
How can you combine MEMS and integrated circuits on a single chip (monolithic Integration)?
Describe typical advantages and disadvantages of the main procedures.
Which advantages and disadvantages do you see?
Q82: RF receiver
Describe the typical parts of an RF receiver.
What are the current bottlenecks for miniaturization?
Where can RF MEMS replace current components in a receiver block?
Which advantages can be obtained? What are the restrictions?
Q83: MEMS filter bank:
Describe the structure and operation of an RF MEMS filter bank.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using such a filter bank in a receiver?
Which possibilities do you see for realization?


Total to be Given : 150
Q1 Q65 1 Marks each
Q66- Q83 2 Marks each
50 Marks: Viva solely on Assignment