The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has introduced a long-awaited measurement tool to help device designers, manufacturers, and customers to see eye to eye on eight dimensional and material property measurements that are key to device performance.
MEMS, once considered a stepchild of the semiconductor industry, have branched out into a wide range of applications, especially in consumer electronics, and are also important components of lab-on-a-chip diagnostic systems, displays, and implantable medical devices.
According to a June 2012 forecast by the technology consulting firm Yole Développement, global MEMS industry revenues are projected to grow from about $10 billion in 2011 to $21 billion in 2017. Widely used reference materials and standardized measurement methods can help to improve process efficiency and to reduce cost and time in testing and inspecting MEMS devices. Industry-accepted measurements also can promote greater interoperability among devices made by different manufacturers.
The new NIST reference materials are micromachined and further processed to contain miniature cantilevers, beams, stair-like step heights, microscale rulers and test structures for measuring surface-layer thickness. Specifically, the NIST test chips can be used to check customer conformity with internationally established standards for measuring elasticity (Young's modulus), residual strain (and stress), strain (and stress) gradient, as well as thickness, step height and length. All dimensional and material-property measurements that NIST used to characterize the reference devices conform with SEMI and ASTM International standard test methods.
