Automated MEMS assembly: DESIGN AND PROCESS ISSUES IN OPTOELECTRONICS

摘要

In the last decade, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have moved from the university laboratory into mainstream use in a multitude of commercial products. New uses for these chip-level devices are being discovered daily in the information technology, military, environmental, space and biomedical industries. These new discoveries have fueled the rapid growth in existing product and emerging product markets. It is estimated that in 2000, MEMS represented a $2 to $5 billion industry and is expected to reach $8 to $15 billion by 2004. Table 1 shows MEMS proliferation in today's markets (Table 1). Although these are promising numbers, growth rates far exceeding these estimates are expected when makers of consumer products find ways of reducing MEMS production costs. Costly manual manufacturing processes are the primary impediment to a potentially phenomenal growth rate in MEMS markets. For many in the MEMS packaging industry, then, the answer has become automation. Today's manual packaging techniques allow costs to be driven down only so far. Automating these packaging processes will allow component providers to further reduce costs by taking advantage of the economies of scale, reduce yield losses by eliminating the need for human touch, and increase package reliability and performance through repetitive and accurate component placement and attachment.