Midwest MicroDevices brings commercial MEMS services online

September 10, 2007 — Midwest MicroDevices (MMD) — a commercial MEMS foundry that targets emerging to production volume applications in instrumentation, telecom, biomedical, and aerospace/defense — has announced the broad availability of silicon wafer fabrication services. The company had been in limited-volume production for the past 12 months and is now accepting emerging and production orders on a broad scale. MMD already has multiple products in recurring production including thermal sensors, pressure sensors, and some non-MEMS thin-film devices.

Midwest MicroDevices fabricates for external customers only for their use and/or re-sale, and promises complete protection of customer-owned intellectual property. Its customers range from small and medium size firms to Fortune 100 companies.

MMD combines a broad process and tool offering with a flexible engagement model. Key process tools and capabilities include LPCVD, PECVD, e-beam evaporation, sputtering, RIE, DRIE, lift-off, and various wet-bench processing. Lithography of features in the 3-5 micron range is typical, and 1 micron can be accommodated. MMD uses a full suite of metrology tools including SEM. The primary processing tools are cassette-loaded for efficiency and repeatability, and to minimize human handling of substrates.

For post wafer fab processing, MMD regularly provides wafer dicing services and has already performed work in wafer-scale packaging.

The company will look to broaden its wafer bonding capabilities in the months ahead. Although silicon is a prime substrate material, MMD has also delivered product on glass substrates and SOI, and can consider most any type of substrate material including ceramic and silicon carbide.

MMD continues to expand its service mix and is generally on the lookout for additional industry needs that are broadly applicable. In the near-term, MMD is bringing Chlorine and Boron Tri-chloride etching on-line to enable anisotropic etching of aluminum, and will also bring up a RTA capability (rapid thermal anneal). MMD is also implementing BPSG deposition (boro-phospate silicate glass), and will bring a stepper on-line in early 2008 to support sub-micron lithography in-house. The company welcomes input from prospective customers.

Although MMD’s key goal is to serve as a primary source of wafer fabrication for customers, it is willing to engage as a second source as needed, and is also willing to do single-step or few-step processing on a selective basis. If an unusual processing step or material is needed, MMD will identify sources for the needed sequence and will oversee the external work, managing the entire fab process for the customer.

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