In anticipation of the market’s growing demand for MEMS products, a high-volume, high-yield manufacturing solution is the answer: Design for Automation. MEMS component designers must do the upfront work in designing their MEMS devices for volume production. The process requires care and due diligence. The value brought to the customer in lowered costs, and to the manufacturer in increased throughput and yields, translates to success all around.
In the last decade, Micro-Electro- Mechanical Systems (MEMS) have moved from the university laboratory into mainstream use in a multitude of commercial products. 
From automotive airbag deployment accelerometers to telecommunication optical switches, MEMS are flooding the market. New uses for these chip-level devices are being discovered everyday in the information technology, military, environmental, space based and biomedical industries. But growth rates far exceeding these estimates are expected when makers of consumer products find ways of reducing MEMS production costs, because costly manual manufacturing processes are the primary impediment.
Five Key Process Points to MEMS Device Manufacturing
- Component design: Requirements for automation must be considered when designing MEMS devices, keeping in mind that the highest degree of accuracy is achievable with the highest quality components. By designing components for automation from the beginning, MEMS manufacturers will save critical time and money when scaling their manufacturing operation to meet increased demand.
- Presentation and handling: Due to their fragility, MEMS devices must be handled with care. The slightest shock to these devices can easily damage the microstructures causing altered performance.
- Three attachment methods
- In-situ UV epoxy cure
- Eutectic soldering
- Ball bumping via flip chip and thermal-compression
- Placement accuracy: Any variation in the placement of the MEMS causes the device to improperly alter the path of the laser beam, seriously affecting the yield of the process.
- Cleanliness: Whether your packaging process is manual or automated, cleanliness standards should be attained and followed to ensure the highest yield.
Automating packaging processes will allow component providers to further reduce costs by taking advantage of the economies of scale, reduce yield losses by eliminating the need for human touch, and increase package reliability and performance through repetitive and accurate component placement and attachment.
Download the technical paper "Automating MEMS Assembly" for an in depth look at meeting the key process requirements to automated MEMS packaging.
----
Josef Schmidl
Managing Director, Palomar Technologies GmbH
Palomar Technologies