Date of Award
2007
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering (PhD)
College, School or Department Name
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Advisor
Paul L Bergstrom
Abstract
The monolithic integration of dissimilar microsystems is often limited by conflicts in thermal budget. One of the most prevalent examples is the fabrication of active micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), as structural films utilized for surface micromachining such as polysilicon typically require processing at temperatures unsuitable for microelectronic circuitry. A localized annealing process could provide for the post-deposition heat treatment of integrated structures without compromising active devices. This dissertation presents a new microfabrication technology based on the inductive heating of ferromagnetic films patterned to define regions for heat treatment. Support is provided through theory, finite-element modeling, and experimentation, concluding with the demonstration of inductive annealing on polysilicon inertial sensing structures. Though still in its infancy, the results confirm the technology to be a viable option for integrated MEMS as well as any microsystem fabrication process requiring a thermal gradient.
Recommended Citation
Trombley, Melissa L., "Localized annealing of polysilicon microstructures by inductively heated ferromagnetic films", Dissertation, Michigan Technological University, 2007.
