AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition
    MEMS and NEMS Thursday Sessions
       Session MN+IJ+TR-ThA

Paper MN+IJ+TR-ThA10
Mass Producable, Multiple Stack, Integrated Micro Gas Chromatography System

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 5:00 pm, Room B3

Session: Multi-scale Interactions of Materials and Fabrication at the Micro- and Nano-scale I
Presenter: W.C. Tian, National Taiwan University
Authors: K. Stacey, GE Global Research
A. Knobloch, GE Global Research
N. Chen, GE Global Research
W.C. Tian, National Taiwan University
M. Shannon, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
R. Masel, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Correspondent: Click to Email
This paper presents the novel wafer level processing, assembly, and characterizations of key components of a micro Gas Chromatography system (uGC). We demonstrated ways to perform wafer level low temperature bonding of silicon substrates and methods of patterning Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) within micropreconcentrators in a uGC. We also showed a polyimide membrane transfer process that is integral to the assembly of an electrostatic microvalve within our uGC. The overall device consists of multiple microvalves and a micropreconcentrator which are fabricated using a multiple wafer stack process and assembled using wafer level bonding. The entire process involves more than two hundred process steps including over tens of deep reactive ion silicon etching steps and multiple wafer bonds. We have succesfully fabricated functional preconcentrators and microvalves and have realized yields as high as 88%. In addition, full wafer microvalve assembly will improve device assembly time by 15-20x vs. die level assembly. The initial characterizations of micropreconcentrators and microvalves will be presented. In the future, the entire assembly of the system will be implemented.