2 - Technologies

Surface micromachining is a technique for fabricating three-dimensional micromechanical structures from multilayer stacked an d patterned thin films. The basic concept of surface micromachining is shown on the animation below. First an isolation layer is deposited on a silicon substrate for electrical isolation or as a substrate protective layer. Then a spacer layer is deposited on top of the isolation layer and patterned. This layer is also called the sacrificial layer. The next step is the deposition of the structural layer over the sacrificial layer followed by its patterning. Finally the sacrificial layer is etched, using layer-selective etching. As a result the free standing micromechanical structure is produced.