MEMS Design is a Complex, Interdisciplinary Process

Depending on the type of MEMS device that is desired, a large number of disciplines are normally involved. There are a lot of both scientific and engineering issues that need to be explored and trade-offs made. This course is NOT about understanding the details of these decisions and trade-offs. Once the design is specified, the physical devices need to be completely specified. This course IS about how this is accomplished using tools such as AutoCAD, with Sandia extensions, to specify the physical structures needed construct the masks required for the fabrication process.

Multiple Engineering and Scientific Disciplines

Chemical Engineering - Microfabrication processes, Thin-film technology

Industrial Engineering - Process design, Production control, Microassembly

Materials Engineering - Substrates, components and packaging, Signal Transmission, Fabrication processes, Doping of materials

Mechanical Engineering - Machine component design, Mechanisms and linkages,Thermomechanics, Solid and fluid mechanics, Heat transfer, Fracture mechanics, Intelligent control, Microprocess equipment design and manufacture, Computational mechanics, Package and assembly design

Design Challenges

Basic science on materials and processes at small dimensions

An effort by many different specialists working together where there is very little prior experience

The selection of proper materials, the fabrication at very small dimensions and the creation of new testing methods

The creation of a set of design tools and design verification methods and tools

There are many ways to proceed to a solution

We will concentrate on one of those ways, with our thanks to Sandia Labs for sharing their tools and their processes