Note:

This a 5-week course

Counts as:

• EE Elective
• CMPE Selective - Special Content

Experimental Course Offered:

Spring 2019

Requisites:

ECE 30500 and (ECE 20002 or 25500) and (MA 26100, and 26600 or 26200) and (PHYS 27200 or 24100 and 25200)

Catalog Description:

This course is designed for ECE students whose interests are in the design and fabrication of solid-state transducers using micromachining and MEMS technologies. In this course, we will introduce basic MEMS and micromachining fabrications technologies. This includes bulk micromachining, surface micromachining, and wafer bonding. Fabrication methods for integration of MEMS sensors with CMOS electronics, with special emphasis on post-CMOS processing, will also be covered. Mechanical and thermal properties of materials as related to their applications in common MEMS transducers will be presented. Finally, we will discuss mechanical structures (beams, plates, and membranes) used in the design of MEMS sensors and actuators. Throughout the course, examples of MEMS transducers used in consumer electronics, automotive industry, and biomedical instrumentation will be highlighted.

Learning Outcomes

A student who successfully fulfills the course requirements will have demonstrated:

• an understanding of basic MEMS fabrication methods and be able to design a process flow to fabricate a sensor or actuator in silicon technology.
• an understanding of basic mechanical and thermal properties of common materials used in MEMS transducers, their tradeoffs, and manufacturing constraints.
• an understanding of basic mechanical structures used in MEMS sensors and actuators. In particular simple cantilever beam and circular/square plate/membrane. Be able to design a sensing microstructure and predict its deflection, maximum stress, and identify their design and fabrication tradeoffs.

Lecture Outline:

Assessment Method:

Quizzes and homework