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Contact : Bruno Mourey (bruno.mourey@cea.fr)
Automotive sensors: versatile MEMS technologies on monocrystalline silicon SOI
Leti is developing an adapted technology dubbed “MEMS bond” for the automotive industry for applications such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and pressure sensors:
- Technological modules are based on the direct bonding between wafers and use monocrystalline silicon as a sensing element.
- Technological process bricks create cost efficiencies while offering short-term solutions for different sensors.
In parallel with its “MEMS bond” technology, Leti is also proposing to integrate these technology modules into existing industrial processes.
Low-cost sensors: MEMS and nano-electro mechanical systems (NEMS)
The alliance between micro and nano-systems will provide the low-cost 3D sensors needed in consumer electronics applications. The “M&NEMS” process flow can yield unprecedented size reduction while maintaining electrical and mechanical functionality (see highlights).
Collaborating with Caltech
The NEMS project in collaboration with the California Institute of Technology has the potential to create a new market for bio-chemical sensors. Significant progress has been made on developing a flow chart using a NEMS structure, which is a network of resonators that greatly improves the results of a using a single sensor.
Reducing costs
-The migration of MEMS manufacturers to 200mm production lines will enable greater MEMS integration and cost reduction through 3D sensors or microphones.
-The main advantage of the MEMS bond process for automotive applications is using monocrystalline silicon for the mechanical parts of the device, which capitalizes on Leti’s know-how in wafer bonding. Stability is a primary issue for automotive sensors, and monocrystalline silicon offers stability advantages over polyscrystalline silicon.
-Consumer markets require constant price reduction. With the new M&Ns design and technology concept using a thick layer of silicon for the inertial mass and a thin layer of silicon for the sensing element (a silicon Gage), Leti will open the way for a drastic size reduction (more than a factor of 10) for the next generation of consumer electronic sensors products.
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