SBIR Phase II: Dual Substrate MEMS switch

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段SBIR项目将开发MEMS电气开关的制造能力，采用新颖的双基板设计方法。该方法包括在两个基板之间划分开关部件，其中移动部分在上基板上，并且固定触点在下基板上。移动部分将由单晶硅的无应力层形成，因此没有翘曲或变形的趋势。使用两个衬底允许触点在整个处理过程中完全暴露，并且刚好在衬底结合在一起以形成开关之前进行清洁，从而使开关的接触电阻最小化。由于接触件是暴露的，因此它们可以在两个晶片之间的气密密封中密封之前被有效地清洁，从而减小结的接触电阻。第二阶段的工作将把改进的设计投入批量生产，以生产比竞争对手更高功率、更高频率、更低接触电阻和/或更小占地面积的开关，同时以更低的成本生产。如果成功，这里描述的方法将用于生产MEMS悬臂式开关，用于广泛的应用，从直流电源处理应用到RF和雷达应用。由于MEMS开关具有高载流、高频率特性、小尺寸和低成本，因此MEMS开关可以作为FET开关或微型继电器在各种器件中的可行替代品。该方法还可以适用于其他种类的MEMS器件，例如传感器和致动器，其可以具有悬置在衬底上方的可移动部件，该可移动部件与衬底上的固定部件相互作用。因此，这种方法可以从根本上改变这些器件的制造方式，并开辟目前MEMS器件所不具备的广泛应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II SBIR project will develop manufacturing capabilities for MEMS electrical switches with a novel dual substrate design approach. The approach consists of dividing the switch components between two substrates, with the moving portion on an upper substrate, and the stationary contacts on a lower substrate. The moving portion will be formed from a stress-free layer of single crystal silicon, and so has no tendency to warp or distort. Using two substrates allows the contacts to be fully exposed throughout processing, and cleaned just before the substrates are bonded together to form the switch, thereby minimizing the contact resistance of 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. This Phase II effort will take the improved design into volume manufacturing to produce higher power, higher frequency, lower contact resistance and/or smaller footprint switches than competing ones while being produced at lower costs. 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.