Packaging issues of MEMS devices

 

Liwei Lin

Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of California
Berkeley, California 947201 USA

E-mail: lwlin@me.berkeley.edu

 

 

Abstract:


MEMS packaging has become a major manufacturing issue for commercialization.  In the past twenty years, the application of microelectronic technology to the fabrication of mechanical devices stimulated emerging research in semi-conductor microsensors and microactuators.  However, research on MEMS packaging issues have been generally neglected.  This talk will introduce several thermal-bonding processes for MEMS packaging in an effort to address the MEMS packaging issues.  These include an integrated LPCVD nitride bonding process; localized eutectic, fusion and solder bonding processes; RTP (rapid thermal processing) bonding processes; nano-second laser welding process; ultrasonic sealing process; localized CVD sealing process and low-temperature solder bonding processes.  Specific issues in MEMS packaging applications will also be discussed, including vacuum encapsulation, accelerated testing and long-term reliability of the encapsulated MEMS devices.