On-Wafer Evaluation of MEMS Devices

Testing at Earliest Stages in Development Can Help Lower Costs of Microelectromechnaical Systems.

By Mitsuhiro Nakamura
Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Recently, various devices using MEMS technology such as pressure sensors, accelerometers, and RF MEMS have been commercialized. Additionally, new devices such as silicon microphones, are rapidly evolving. The MEMS market started with the automotive industry and has been expanding to consumer products such as cellular phones.

This MEMS market expansion also applies pressure on manufacturers to lower their costs per device. However there are few opportunities for cost reduction. The limiting factors include:

• Low yields due to the precision process
• Slow throughput due to application of the physical stimulus.

A recent study (item 1 in the Appendix) estimates that 80% of the total production cost is attributed to the device packaging process and how defective chip inflow to the packaging process can contribute to cost increases. Therefore, we will discuss how to evaluate MEMS elements at the on-wafer stage in order to lower the total production cost.

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Integrate Test with Design and Analysis

The common definition of mechatronics does not include testing. Perhaps it should.

By Sugato Deb, Ph.D., MBA & Director Emerging Markets / Partnerships
National Instruments

In the traditional design process of parts and assemblies, engineers produce models, analyze their behaviors under operating conditions, and pass physical prototypes “over the wall” for test engineers to evaluate in a pass-fail mode. Any problems that come to light are “thrown back” for design changes that, though necessary, come at the cost of additional prototypes and development time.

If that wall could be broken down, with analysis and testing working together in a closed-loop cycle, both groups would reap benefits from the use of test-based input values to drive analysis models, the use of analysis results to recommend sensor locations and test scenarios, and faster and better product development cycles. Read more