Fabrication of MEMS on Printed Circuit Boards

Introduction There are many ways to fabricate Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS). For the thin-film fabrication of integrated MEMS, different techniques exist [1, 2]. Typically, the whole fabrication of MEMS devices is conducted on a carrier wafer, which is subsequently fixed and bonded on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) [3]. This procedure is complex and timeconsuming. Furthermore the integration of such bonded MEMS faces difficulties. To reduce complexity and time, as well as to facilitate integration of MEMS, a new processing approach is investigated at the Institute for Micro Production Technology (IMPT). The approach chosen for the fabrication of electromagnetic MEMS devices is the application of a PCB as carrier wafer. Thus, it is possible to integrate the MEMS components in the system from the beginning. In preparation for this approach, it is necessary to adapt the PCB as a carrier substrate and to investigate its applicability for thin-film processing.