Matthew Apanius: Microfabrication Solutions

Introduction

Wafer-level micro fabrication maintains its notoriety for being a fast-paced and exciting technology despite the challenges associated with it. It is not too difficult to understand the tremendous advantages of size and cost when considering making a device that is very small, robust, and versatile. This concept has been around for over 40 years and still remains ever so attractive for an infinite number of product applications. It seems logical that sensors and actuators can be developed and commercialized in the wake of ever-shrinking dimensions seen in the integrated circuit industry while its substrate platform continues to get larger. Miniaturization also brings with it the allure of better performance possibly from increased sensitivity, lower power consumption, better response time, smaller packaging, disposability, harsh environment compatibility, and transparency in use, and so on.

Equipment, clean room, and tooling costs can be quite formidable when considering micro device development, but multi-user facilities and service providers have removed this barrier quite effectively. There are companies that provide foundry services, usually as a means to offset their own development costs and facility expenses while they strive forward with the own product endeavors. Universities have become key resources for developing new concepts, and like their industry counterparts, they also rent clean room time and space to outside users. Although this is done in the hope of licensing intellectual property to start up company spinouts, more appropriately call