Development of geometrically based fabrication emulator for MEMS micromachining and excimer laser ablation

Computer aided design (CAD) is a key point in the development of all engineering products for cost reduction and for accelerating the update of products. Unlike mechanical design, which usually yields truly 3-D objects, the 2-D extruded nature of the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication process makes it extremely suitable to be represented using an automatic solid modeling flow. In this paper, the relationship between key MEMS fabrication procedures and their corresponding solid modeling functions are first correlated. Based on these correlations, a fabrication process emulator, called the NCKU Z-Fabricator is subsequently developed to emulate MEMS fabrication, and successful microfabrication examples are demonstrated. Finally, the simulation module for a novel multi-user MEMS platform “SMart” and the non-traditional excimer laser ablation process are designed and demonstrated using the Z-Fabricator. Following the correlation and methodology outlined in this paper, it is expected that users will be able to design their own process emulator to customize their own special fabrication requirements and to reduce the cost of software in a more flexible manner.