After following the course, the student can:
1. know the building blocks (fabrication steps) of technology to fabricate a microsystem;
2. adequately express in own words the principles and theory behind;
3. transfer the obtained knowledge to practical examples in designing microsystems;
4. identify the key building blocks of technology needed to realize particular examples of microsystems;
5. develop, by combining relevant information, own process flow to realize a particular microsystem, and
6. evaluate, using motivated scientific arguments, the feasibility of the suggested process flow.
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The course provides a general introduction to the field of manufacturing technology of microsystems. The emphasis is put on the fabrication steps. The most commonly applied steps (techniques) are treated. The techniques having the same main goal are compared, their advantages and disadvantages are discussed, the choices of suitable techniques for the particular application/device are questioned. The important criteria (e.g. film properties, uniformity, the costs, the efficiency, the reproducibility and the reliability), to compare the different techniques, are demonstrated. It is shown how fabrication steps can be combined in a process flow to fabricate a functional microsystem. Several examples are given where the integration processes to fabricate microsystems are treated in an introductory manner, including realization of microprocessors, microfluidic systems, lab-on-a-chip, MEMS and nanoelectronic (spintronic) devices.
Two main blocks are given. Block 1 considers the basics (main building blocks) of microtechnology and includes introduction and history, substrates and wafers, modification of materials, lithography, film deposition, wet and dry etching, wafer bonding and packaging. Block 2 consists of guest lectures and covers different application areas of the main building blocks to realize microsystems in the field of integrated circuits, biochips, nanoelectronics, sensors, and micro-reactors. At the end of the course, students make short presentations about theoretically developed process flows for making a variety of structures of choice.
Assessment
Presentation 15%
Written exam 85%
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