Package, Process & Microassembly

Research that includes:

  • Low temperature MEMS-on-CMOS Silicon-Germanium process for adding MEMS to finished CMOS wafers or dice
  • Silicon Carbide process for adverse environment MEMS and high frequency RF resonators
  • Localized bonding: eutectic, fusion, solder, laser, inductive, rapid thermal processing, and ultrasonic; suitable for device level or wafer level packaging or sealing applications to plastic, glass, silicon and Bio materials, including liquid encapsulation
  • Fluidic microassembly for post-process combining of dissimilarly processed microdevices
  • Carbon nanotube and silicon nanowire directional growth in post-process, low ambient temperature environments
  • Stiction mitigation for MEMS

BPN329: Micro Magnetic Shielded Packaging

Armon Mahajerin
Woon-Kyung (Kevin) Choi
2008

The long-term goal of the project is to create the magnetic shielding packaging for a micro-machined gyroscope using spin-polarized nuclei. The shield is to have an attenuation above 10 to the 6 and a small size of approximately one cubic centimeter volume while allowing signal transmission lines to communicate with outside world. This is accomplished with multiple layers of high permeability material such as nickel-iron alloy. Current work focuses on new methods of fabricating shielding devices and the exploration of additional shielding materials.

Project end date:...

BPN414: Disposable Microsyringe for Single Dose Vaccine Delivery

Zachary Lee
2008

With the development of transdermal drug delivery methods there is a growing potential for creating safer and more efficient means of vaccine delivery and improving access for children in remote areas of developing countries. Problems with conventional needle delivery in areas with limited supplies include the risk of blood borne pathogen transmission through accidental needle sticks, wastage and contamination during the reconstitution process, storage and cold chain maintenance. Microneedle based drug delivery systems consisting of an array of pointed, out-of-plane microneedles have...

BPN382: 2D Individually-Addressable Nanowire Arrays

Peter C. Yang
2009

Semiconductor nanowires have recently stimulated great interest due to their attractive and potentially very useful properties, originating from features such as carrier confinement, high surface to volume ratio, and morphology/crystal structure unique to their nanoscale dimension and bottom-up growth process. These properties lead to many possible applications such as room temperature ballistic conductors for high-frequency/high-powered integrated circuits, UV/visible/IR nanolasers and waveguides, as well as sensors for chemical and biological agents. The systematic assembly and...

BPN351: MEMS-Based Magnetic Probe Microscopy

Gerardo Jaramillo
2009

A scanning-probe magnetic microscopy based on a high resolution magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensor is under construction. MTJ sensors are highly sensitive magnetic field sensors but suffer from large 1/f noise. We have developed a new approach for reducing the 1/f noise in an MTJ sensor by using a MEMS resonator to mechanically modulate the magnetic field signal to a high frequency. MEMS actuators are uniquely suited to achieve both precise, micron-scale control of the average sample-to-sensor separation and to AC modulate the separation and MTJ signal at a very high frequency (...

BPN356: MEMS Microfabrication and Research Services at the Adriatic Research Institute

Veljko Milanovic
2009

Adriatic Research Institute (ARI) is a California non-profit corporation in Berkeley, CA. Through membership in the Berkeley Microfabrication Laboratory Affiliates Program since 2001, we have enjoyed year-round access to the 4" and 6" CMOS and MEMS fabrication facility on campus. Our own research projects utilize a variety of SOI-based and other MEMS processes to fabricate fast two-axis micromirror scanners, ultra-light mirrors, low-stress membranes, nanowires, etc. ARI also has an extensively equipped electronics and MEMS design and test facility. All of these facilities, our...

BPN361: MiNaSIP 2.C.1: MEMS Packaging Beyond Glass Frit

Jiyoung Chang
2009

Glass frit bonding is a largely popular method of encapsulating MEMS devices in the industry today. It's popularity is due to relatively low processing temperature, tunability of thermal coefficient of expansion, and hermetic sealing. However, glass frit bonding requires a large amount of space, sometimes as much as several times the size of the MEMS device itself. This attribute is largely responsible for limiting further scalability and miniaturization of individual dies. This research project aims (1) to take a deeper look into the shortcomings of the existing glass frit bonding...

BPN491: SiC TAPS: Ion Beam Deposited SiC for MEMS Encapsulation

David R. Myers
2010

This project seeks to create a harsh environment encapsulated strain sensor useful in high temperature and high shock environments.

Project end date: 08/11/10

BPN402: MiNaSIP 2.C.2: Zero-Stress MEMS Packaging

Chen Yang
Bin Zhang
Ryan Sochol
2010

Tools for linking the environment (application/tester/customer system) with the micro world of a MEMS device are extremely limited. It has proven difficult to accurately predict package, tester, and circuit board interactions and results. Thus, this research aims (1) to explore the physics of micro/macro interfacial contacts/stresses in the back-end packaging process to the overall MEMS RF device performances, and (2) to develop models for stresses in packages with MEMS devices (including RF MEMS such as QFN, LGA, cavity packages, etc.) both in process and final product stages. The...

BPN315: Rapid Synthesis of Nanostructures via Induction Heating

Brian D. Sosnowchik
2010

The primary objective of this work is to develop a platform technology for the rapid synthesis nanostructured materials using an induction heating system. The technology is clean, scalable, inexpensive and versatile, and may be used to rapidly synthesize a wide range of nanomaterials in a room-temperature environment in as little as 30 seconds. Such a synthesis technology may be used to quickly prototype novel and existing vapor-liquid-solid-grown nanomaterials for sensor applications, and open up a new class of nanomaterial synthesis.

Project end date: 08/11/10

BPN427: Hermetic Bonding for Optical Feed-through

Koo Hyun Nam
Jiyoung Chang
2010

Optical packaging differs from traditional packaging in several ways, and many of these differences emerge from the need to protect the electrical, mechanical, and optical components of a system while preserving its exposure to the environment. Thus, the materials and packaging processes involved in such a system must be chosen with these goals in mind. This research project seeks to ascertain reliable and feasible hermetic packaging methods to ensure mechanical durability as well as insulation from electrical leakage for an optical feed-through operating in highly variable...