CONTAMINATIONS IN MEMS PROCESSES AND REMOVAL METHODOLOGY

Wafer impurities and process particulates are one of the prime reason of MEMS device failure. Various cleaning methodologies are evolved but cleaning remains a critical process in MEMS domain as varied materials along with micromachining operations are involved. Bulk and surface micromachining process results in etching of substrate as well as various layers which necessitate evolving of proper cleaning methodology to avoid device failure. This article details the sources of contamination, role of contamination in MEMS domain, cleaning and measurement techniques to mitigate the effect on the device performance.