Subcontract micromachining aids MEMS designers

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team May 23, 2002

Micromachining systems from Oxford Lasers can cut, drill and etch precise microfeatures quickly and cleanly into a wide range of materials used in MEMS and MEOMS applications.

Micromachining systems from Oxford Lasers can cut, drill and etch precise microfeatures quickly and cleanly into a wide range of materials used in MEMS and MEOMS applications.

This facility provides MEMS designers with an additional degree of freedom when generating new devices such as pressure sensors, accelerometers, angular rate sensors, micromachines, medical/healthcare and chemical sensors.

The application of MEMS and MEOMS is huge, diverse and constantly growing, and the use of lasers in this field is following the same trend.

The combination of silicon based microelectronics with the latest in micromachining technology promises to spread, and transform almost every product category.

Oxford Lasers high speed, reliable, accurate, round-the-clock production process equipment is ready to meet that demand.

As a result of market downturns in the semiconductor and electronics industry over the past year, many companies are looking to outsource parts of their manufacturing procedures.

Oxford Lasers has increased its subcontracting capability and now has a set of dedicated, fully equipped, laser applications laboratories that are ideal for batch fabrication or technique development and testing.

There is even a special UV laser laboratory for work with plastics, polymers and glass.

Oxford Lasers micromachining systems can also be used for trimming MEMS devices in order to ensure 100% QA.

For example, precise mass removal by laser ablation enables electro-mechanical trimming and balancing of angular rate sensor devices for higher yield.

In addition to processing silicon, generally associated with the electronics industry, these laser micromachining systems can deal equally well with other difficult materials such as metals, diamond, ceramics and polymers.

Oxford Lasers has had many years of experience in developing bespoke processes and systems for demanding applications.

These systems benefit from an extensive range of lasers, motion control, part-handling and probing technology.