Current MEMS Technology and MEMS Sensors

-Focusing on Inertial Sensors-

Kazusuke Maenaka
Graduate School of Engineering, University ofHyogo
Himeji, Hyogo 671-2280, Japan
E-mail: maenaka@eng.u-hyogo.ac.jp
Abstract
2.1 Surface Micromachining
In this paper, current Micro Electro Mechanical Sys-
tems (MEMS) technology and some inertial sensors will
be discussed.
MEMS technology is presently becoming a key tech-
nology for future microelectronics. Some remarkable
developments in MEMS are the driving force behind the
current MEMS field, and many MEMS devices in the
market are using these technologies effectively. Some
particularly remarkable MEMS technologies and devices
are described in this paper.
1. Introduction
MEMS technology has become very important for
microelectronics. Although MEMS originated from inte-
grated circuit technologies, it is evolving differently. For
example, in integrated circuit technology, extreme minia-
turization, increasing wafer size, and reducing defects are
the main issues, whereas fast and deep etching, fusion
with functional materials such as PZT and wafer level
packaging are attracting attention in MEMS technology.
In the following section, we describe current and useful
MEMS technologies and sensors, paying special atten-
tion to modem inertial sensors.
2. MEMS Technology
Almost all MEMS devices are made from silicon wa-
fer, similar to conventional integrated circuits. Thus,
standard technologies used for integrated circuits, Le.
photolithography, oxidation, wet/dry etching, and deposi-
tion of standard materials such as polysilicon and alumi-
num, can also be used for MEMS. The evolution of both
these technologies follows Moore's law [1], according to
which, continual evolution requires effective technologi-
cal improvements. Here, we discuss the surface micro-
machining process, deep reactive ion etching (Deep-RIE),
and packaging technology as such examples in MEMS
technology.
Development of the full-scale surface micromachining
process began in 1987 using polysilicon layers as a mov-
able structure [2]. In the following years, several effec-
tive structures such as comb actuators and displacement
detectors were proposed (Fig. 1). The epoch-making
device was an acceleration sensor that integrated sensor
structure with peripheral circuitry on one chip [3]. Since
this device had a movable structure on the chip's surface,
the chip was first assembled with a can-type or CerDIP
package. These sensors are now manufactured by a
conventional resin molding technique with a silicon cap
structure, as described in section 2.3.
As of today, polysilicon film is not the only material
used in the fabrication of a movable structure; single-
crystal silicon layer is also used widely. For this purpose,
a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOl) wafer is very useful as a
starting material. Although the maximum thickness of
polysilicon film is limited to about 10 due to deposi-
tion technology, unrestricted thickness can be obtained
using an SOl wafer. Examples of structures derived from
a polysilicon layer and an SOl wafer are shown in Fig. 2.
2.2 Deep-RIE
Deep-RIE is a highly anisotropic etching process for re-
alizing deep, steep-sided holes or trenches in silicon wa-
(b) Structure M
Figure Comb actuator (a) and displacement detector (b). In (a),
applied voltage V generates an attracting force between the structures.
Structure in (b) forms two capacitances C+ (between M and Fl) and
C- (between M and F2). Movement of structure M toward the positive
x direction results in increasing C+ and decreasing C- because of the
change in gaps between combs, and this differential capacitance change
is the output signal of this device.
978-1-4244-2186-2/08/$25.00 2008 IEEE
(a)
SOl wafer
2.3 Packaging Technology
Figure 4. Double-side etching of SOl wafer.
Combined with an sal wafer, some unique and com-
plex structures are easily realized. Figure 4 shows such
a structure formed using double-side etching. The thin
layer in the soI wafer (active layer) can be used as a
suspension spring or diaphragm, and the thick or handle
layer can be used as a large mass. Since the top side of
the wafer is made of single-crystal silicon, a conventional
integrated circuit combined with movable structures can
be formed on the wafer.
Movable structure
3. MEMS Inertial Sensors
MEMS inertial sensors such as acceleration sensors
and gyroscopes are currently in the limelight [6,7].
Their applications are increasing rapidly, and their cost
is constantly being reduced. In the following section,
some inertial sensors will be introduced, and the trend of
development ofthis field will be discussed.
In MEMS devices with movable structures, e.g.,
acceleration sensors, gyroscopes, and pressure sensors,
packaging technology is extremely important from the
viewpoint of miniaturization and cost reduction. In order
to secure free space for a movable structure, can- and
ceramic-type packages can be used. However, these
packages are expensive and miniaturization is limited.
Therefore, several techniques are being developed and
adopted (Fig. 5). Recent sensors, especially inertial ones,
have peripheral interface circuitry in one package. Thus,
the combination technique between the sensor structure
and integrated circuit is the most important one for
packaging technology. Although one-chip integration
of sensor and circuitry seems to be the ultimate design
for smart sensors, it is difficult to use the most recent
IC technology independent of the sensor structure or to
achieve optimized design considering both sensor and
circuit. Therefore, current packaging design seems to be
a combination of a sensor chip and the latest LSI chip by
a chip bonding technique, as shown in Fig. 5 (e).
Si
Si
Si02
Si

I-Z.19P:'

Si02
(d)
Moving structure
(Poly silicon thin film)
Spring
(b)
fers, with high aspect ratios of several tens in magnitude.
After several studies were conducted to realize deep and
high-aspect trench holes, the Bosch process [4] was suc-
cessful in producing a very high aspect ratio (>100) with
high etching selectivity to oxide and photo resist. The
Bosch process alternates repeatedly between two modes:
a standard, nearly isotropic plasma etching process and
a deposition process of a chemically inert passivation
layer. This layer prevents etching of the side wall of the
trench. Usually, in order to increase plasma density or
etching rate, an induction coupled plasma technique is
used. Recently, an etching rate exceeding 20 f.lm/min was
obtained by a commercial machine, which is more than
ten times larger than that of conventional anisotropic wet
etching [5]. Figure 3 shows an etching sample.
(b)
Figure 2. Surface micromachining process using deposited
polysilicon (a) and SOl wafer (b).
Fixed point to substrate
(Anchor)
Insulator film

Moving structure
Single crystalline silicon Fixed point to substrate
(Active layer)
Figure 3. Example of results of Deep-RIE for SOl wafer. The scallop
pattern resulting from two-step etching is seen in (d).
(b)
waer
Ii! tl Glass substrate
Piezo resistors
Spr'ngs

(a)
Figure 6. Example of three-dimensional acceleration sensor.
Tensile strain
TenSileK-
No applied acceleration Acceleration to z axis Acceleration to
(c) x or y axis
Lead Bonding
(d) Plastic package 1
PCB
Metal cap
Plastic mold
Plastic mold
Cap
dhesive silicon
taata{..
(c) SmaU ceramic package
Wrre Movable seaf[al
Integrated circuit with.
sensor structure on a ChIp
Lead Ceramic base
Lead
(a) Can package (b) CerDIP
Figure 5. Various types of packagings.
3.1 Acceleration Sensors
Development of acceleration sensors has progressed
rapidly since its application to airbags in automobiles.
Acceleration sensors have even been incorporated into
video game controllers such as Nintendo's Wii. The
future trends of MEMS acceleration sensor development
are further miniaturization, cost reduction, 3-axis
sensing, and digital processing in the same package.
An example of a three-dimensional acceleration sensor
is shown in Fig. 6 [8], which is fabricated using an
SOl wafer and double-side etching, and also integrated
with peripheral circuitry. An example of the use of
this technology is shown in Fig. 4. In this case, a bulk
micromachining process, which defines structures by
selectively etching inside a wafer, is used for fabricating
the sensing element, and piezo-resistors are used for
detecting applied stress or acceleration. Several other
structures are available in commercial sensors, for
example, a surface micromachined device as shown in
Fig. 2 with capacitive detection mechanism (Fig. 1 (b)).
In addition to miniaturization and cost reduction, high-
performance devices will be required in certain fields
such as space applications and robotics. Some studies
have already begun with these aims in mind [9,10].
Here, we introduce our preliminary work: vibratory
accelerometers.
Figure 7 shows the structure of our vibratory
accelerometer [10]. In this device, the force caused by
acceleration is measured using the change in stress in the
beam supporting the mass, which results in a change in
the beam's resonance frequency. The frequency change
can be measured accurately and with high resolution,
thus realizing a high-performance sensing system. This
device is composed of a proof mass, frame, and two sets
of suspension and vibrating beams. An external magnetic
circuit applies a magnetic field to all beams. Wires are
placed on the beams in order to vibrate them and detect
the movement of the beams caused by electromotive
force. With AC currents applied through the driving
wires and electromotive force detected from the sensing
wires, we can obtain the resonance frequencies of the
beams using external circuitry. When acceleration is
applied along the sensing axis, one of the vibrating
beams receives compressive stress and the other receives
tensile stress, resulting in a decrease and an increase
in the resonance frequencies of the individual beams,
respectively. These resonance frequency changes are
the output of the device. the resolution of this
device operating in a vacuum is about 20 J..lG Hz-l/
Thick suspension beams
Figure 7, Vibratory beam accelerometer.
(e) Bottom view
(d) Top view (Smm Smm)
Movement of mass
Coriolisforce,
Output
Figure 8. Gimbal-type gyroscope.
Movement of center of gravity of the mass,
Rererence
References
all researchers and developers in this field are urgently
studying this problem.
4. Conclusions
Some specific MEMS technologies were described.
Many other technologies, such as bonding, wet etching,
and fusion of silicon with functional materials, contribute
to the progress of MEMS. Effective application of these
technologies allowed the development of current MEMS
devices such as inertial sensors, as shown in this paper.
Although only a few types of MEMS inertial sensors
were presented here, many more types of sensors are
currently being developed and delivered to the market.
The MEMS technology should be worthwhile for future
development of all microelectronics.
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3.2 Gyroscopes
In the past several years, some silicon MEMS
gyroscopes have been developed and marketed [11,12].
Several types of MEMS gyroscopes are available, but
almost all are based on vibratory-type gyroscopes, in
which a mass constantly vibrates in order to generate the
Coriolis force by the applied angular velocity. Different
methods may be used to vibrate a mass and to detect
the displacement of the mass caused by the Coriolis
force: for example, electromagnetic force, electrostatic
force, and converse piezoelectric effect for vibratory
driving of the mass; and electromotive force, capacitance
change, and direct piezoelectric effect for measuring the
displacement of the mass. Here, we will introduce one
example from our study.
Figure 8 shows the structure of the gyroscope [13].
The device has double-gimbal structures (inner and
outer gimbals), which are supported by torsion bars
perpendicular to each other. A mass is located underneath
and in the center of the inner gimbal for generating the
Coriolis force. On both inner and outer gimbals, coils are
individually formed by two-layer metal. The coil on the
inner-gimbal structure is used for inducing the vibration
of the mass, and the coil on the outer gimbal is used for
detecting the vibration caused by the Coriolis force. The
device is placed in a parallel magnetic field. The direction
of the applied magnetic field is tilted by 45 degrees from
the torsion bars. When the inner coil is excited at its own
resonance frequency by an AC current, the inner gimbal
attached to the mass mostly vibrates around the torsion
bar of the inner gimbal because of a high factor. At
this time, the outer gimbal is held steady because the
vibration of the inner gimbal is parallel to the torsion
bar for the outer gimbal. When an angular velocity is
applied, as shown in Fig. 8, the Coriolis force at the
mass center generates a torque at the outer gimbal, and
the outer coil provides an electromotive force (voltage).
This voltage is the output of the device. The device
was successfully combined with analog/digital mixed
circuitry and excellent characteristics were obtained.
This type of gyroscope using electromagnetic force
generally exhibits excellent characteristics, but its size is
limited by the magnet assembly. Thus, the current line of
development seems to be the realization of a device with
electrostatic driving and capacitance detection, which is
suitable for miniaturization.
Currently, MEMS gyroscopes available in the market
have a relatively high resolution of 0.01-0.1 deg S-l
Hz-1/2. However, the zero-point stability of the devices
is often quite poor. This is due to the difficulty in
measuring the very small displacement generated by the
Coriolis force. often reaches hundreds of deg/s. Thus,