Publications Details

Microelectro-optical devices in a 5-level polysilicon surface micromachining technology

Smith, J.H.; Rodgers, M.S.; Sniegowski, J.J.; Miller, S.L.; Hetherington, D.; Mcwhorter, P.J.; Warren, M.E.

We recently reported on the development of a 5-level polysilicon surface micromachine fabrication process consisting of four levels of mechanical poly plus an electrical interconnect layer and its application to complex mechanical systems. This paper describes the application of this technology to create micro-optical systems-on-a-chip. These are demonstration systems, which show that five levels of polysilicon provide greater performance, reliability, and significantly increased functionality. This new technology makes it possible to realize levels of system complexity that have so far only existed on paper, while simultaneously adding to the robustness of many of the individual subassemblies.