The Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), which once existed only in the university laboratory, are common in many commercial products today. MEMS are found in such products as the automotive airbag deployment accelerometers and telecommunication optical switches. On the chip-level, MEMs are being used for many different applications in the aerospace and defense, information technology and medical device (especially implantable medical devices) industries. With demand increasing in each of these industries for MEMS applications combined with a need to reduce production costs (as it is a costly manufacturing process), automation becomes key to MEMS packaging success. 
By automating the MEMS packaging process, component providers are better positioned to take advantage of economies of scale, reduce yield losses by eliminating the need for human touch (via manual packaging), and increase package reliability and performance through repetitive and accurate component placement and attachment.
The semiconductor packaging industry has forged the path for automated component assembly, providing today's MEMS manufacturers with lessons that are directly transferable to MEMS packaging. Even with this foundation, automating a MEMS packaging process presents some unique challenges. The good news is that by understanding these challenges and addressing their solutions, component manufacturers will have the knowledge they need to successfully automate their MEMS packaging process.