Silicon Micromachining

This comprehensive book provides an overview of the key techniques used in the fabrication of micron-scale structures in silicon. Recent advances in these techniques have made it possible to create a new generation of microsystem devices, such as microsensors, accelerometers, micropumps, and miniature robots. The authors underpin the discussion of each technique with a brief review of the fundamental physical and chemical principles involved. They pay particular attention to methods such as isotropic and anisotropic wet chemical etching, wafer bonding, reactive ion etching, and surface micromachining. There is a special section on bulk micromachining, and the authors also discuss release mechanisms for movable microstructures. The book is a blend of detailed experimental and theoretical material, and will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers in electrical engineering and materials science whose work involves the study of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).

1. Introduction; 2. Anisotropic wet chemical etching; 3. Chemical physics of wet chemical etching; 4. Waferbonding; 5. Examples and applications; 6. Surface micromachining; 7. Isotropic wet chemical etching of silicon; 8. Introduction into dry etching; 9. Why plasmas?; 10. Plasma system configurations; 11. What is plasma etching?; 12. Contact plasma etching; 13. Remote plasma etching; 14. High aspect ratio trench etching; 15. Moulding of microstructures; 16. Fabrication of movable microstructures.

This comprehensive book provides an overview of the key techniques used in the fabrication of micron-scale structures in silicon. It is a blend of detailed experimental and theoretical material, and will be of great interest to graduate students and researchers in electrical engineering and materials science whose work involves the study of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).