SBIR Phase I: Dual Substrate Cantilevered MEMS switch

SBIR 第一阶段：双基板悬臂式 MEMS 开关

• 批准号: 0637474
• 负责人: Jaquelin Spong
• 金额: $ 9.98万
• 依托单位: Innovative Micro Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2007-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0637474&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Dual; Substrate; Cantilevered

This Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I (SBIR) project will test and confirm a novel approach to the manufacture of small cantilevered MEMS electrical switches. The approach obviates or ameliorates a multitude of problems which exist using the present surface machining approach to the fabrication of these switches. The approach divides the switch components between two substrates, with the moving cantilevered portion on an upper substrate, and the stationary contacts on the lower substrate. The moving portion may be formed from a stress-free layer of single crystal silicon, and therefore has no tendency to warp or distort. Using two substrates allows the contacts to be fully exposed throughout processing, until the substrates are bonded together to form the switch. Because the contacts are exposed, they can be effectively cleaned just prior to sealing in the hermetic seal between the two wafers, thereby reducing the contact resistance of the junctions. In addition, the dual substrate approach affords a number of design options not available using the surface machining approach. If successful, the approach described here will be used to produce MEMS cantilevered switches for a broad range of applications, from DC power handling applications to RF and radar applications. Because of their high current-carrying, high frequency characteristics with small size and low cost, the MEMS switches may serve as viable replacements for FET switches or micro relays in a wide range of devices. The approach may also be applicable to other sorts of MEMS devices, such as sensors and actuators, which may have a movable component suspended over a substrate which interacts with a fixed component on the substrate. This approach may therefore fundamentally alter how these devices are manufactured, and open up a wide range of applications not presently served by MEMS devices.

这个小型企业创新研究计划第一阶段(SBIR)项目将测试和确认一种制造小悬臂式MEMS电气开关的新方法。该方法避免或改善了使用目前的表面加工方法制造这些开关所存在的大量问题。该方法在两个基板之间划分开关组件，活动悬臂部分在上基板上，固定触点在下基板上。移动部分可以由单晶硅的无应力层形成，因此没有翘曲或变形的倾向。使用两个基板可以使触点在整个加工过程中完全暴露，直到基板粘合在一起形成开关。由于触点是裸露的，因此在密封两个晶片之间的密封之前，可以有效地清洁触点，从而降低了结点的接触电阻。此外，双基板方法提供了许多表面加工方法所不具备的设计选项。如果成功，这里描述的方法将被用于生产MEMS悬臂式开关，适用于从直流功率处理应用到射频和雷达应用的广泛应用。由于MEMS开关具有高载流、高频、体积小、成本低等特点，可作为FET开关或微继电器的替代品，应用于广泛的器件领域。该方法也可以适用于其他类型的MEMS设备，例如传感器和致动器，其可以具有悬挂在基板上的可移动部件，该可移动部件与基板上的固定部件相互作用。因此，这种方法可能从根本上改变这些器件的制造方式，并打开目前MEMS器件没有服务的广泛应用。