A single metal layer MEMS self-assembling coplanar structure

Self-assembling perforated microplates modeled and fabricated on silicon wafers by means of surface micromachining are presented. The structures consist of a single Cr/Au metal layer and are set into position by the residual tensile in-plane stress of the material; the geometry is designed to obtain a lifted microplate coplanar to the surface of the wafer. The structures are modeled both analytically and by finite element simulation to correlate the displacement with the strain of the structural material. Samples are fabricated using IC technology on standard 4-inch silicon wafers by surface micromachining; a photoresist is used as a sacrificial layer and electroplated gold is used as a structural layer on a chromium-gold PVD seedlayer. The fabricated structures exhibit a vertical displacement of 38 μm. The resulting estimated strain is 0.001 66, which corresponds to a tensile stress of 173 MPa and is consistent with thermal residual strain.