ABSTRACT
Acknowledgment.............................................................................................................................96
References .......................................................................................................................................96
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), also known as microsystems technology (MST), has
seen an explosive growth during the past two decades. Miniaturizing technology with benefits
such as new functionality, cost reduction, and space saving, has helped MEMS applications span
over numerous fields including automotive, aerospace, photonics, telecommunications, life
sciences, biochemistry, biology, biomedicine, and drug delivery to name a few. When it comes to
sensors and actuators, MEMS is a strong competitor for the conventional manufacturing processes.
Whenever a new functionality becomes possible by going small (e.g., biological applications), or
when mass production at small scale reduces production costs (e.g., automotive applications), or
when space is a major constraint (e.g., aerospace applications), utilizingMEMS becomes an obvious
choice. This chapter focuses on Si-based MEMS with the main emphases placed on silicon proper-
ties, device fabrication, device applications, and the related mechanical and reliability related issues.
Silicon is the material of choice for most MEMS devices. This arises mainly from the economic
benefits due to the well-established semiconductor manufacturing technology that provides the
industrial infrastructure needed for MEMS fabrication. This is in addition to the desirable properties
of silicon including electrical, optical, and mechanical, linked to various crystal structures. The
well-established micromachining techniques with additive and subtractive processes make the
design and mass production of Si-MEMS easy and economical. Si-based MEMS may have other
materials that are compatible with silicon. These include silicon oxides, silicon nitrides, silicon
carbides, and metals such as Al, W, Cu, and polymers such as polyimide.
