Materials, Sensors and

Actuators
in MEMS technology
evolution

Andrea Picco, PhD

18 September 2020
We are creators and makers of technology

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As of December 31, 2019

As of December 31, 2019 2
 Where you find us

Enabling the evolution of

Making driving safer, industry towards
greener smarter, safer and more
and more connected efficient factories and
workplaces

Making homes & cities

Making everyday things
smarter, for better living,
smarter, connected
higher security,
and more aware
and to get more from
of their surroundings
available resources

3
 MEMS for sensing and actuating

Motion Environmental Audio

Sensors
Physical
Signal
change Electro

MEMS Mechanical

Mechanical Micro-actuators Electric

Optical Fluidic
Micro-actuators Micro-actuators
4
Original MEMS
Timeline
Development for
Industrial and
Automotive
Applications

2000 2005
SENSORS
Accelerometer Gyroscope Inertial
module
Magneto
-meter

2010
Pressure
sensor
Microphones Humidity
sensor

2015
GAS & VOC

2017

Fluidic
Micro-
actuators ACTUATORS Consumer
Micro
Mirror
Actuators
PZT
Piezo
actuators

High
Automotive
Volume
Production 5
20 Years of MEMS in ST Industrial
 Silicon vs steel

Property Silicon Steel

Young’s modulus 180 GPa 210 GPa
Yield strength > 1 GPa 4.2 GPa
Density 2.3 g/cm3 7.9 g/cm3
Thermal expansion 2.3 ppm/K 12 ppm/K
coefficient 6
An example of motion MEMS: accelerometer

7
 Accelerometer: how it works
𝐹 =𝑚∙a
𝐹 = 𝑘 ∙ ∆𝑥
𝑘
𝑎 = ∙ ∆𝑥
𝑚
k

acceleration is measured by
mm
means of mass displacement

8
Motion MEMS: images

𝜀0 ∙ 𝑆
𝐶=
𝑑

9
 THELMA gyroscope at work

Drive mode Yaw mode Pitch mode Roll mode

9/18/2020 10
 Motion sensors: how they are made

HF HF HF
HF HF
HF
HF HF

11
 Motion MEMS today
Low-noise New Market
low-thickness penetration
Cost effectiveness

Optical Image
Stabilization (OIS) Recreational &
For Smartphones professional
Drones

Addressing existing and new applications and markets

Wearable Virtual Reality

High accuracy
Ultra-low power
For always-on
wearable devices
12
2015 2016
 MEMS pressure sensor
❖ 4 p-Si resistors implanted on a flexible silicon membrane
❖ Pressure induced stress is sensed by piezoresistive effect
❖ 4 piezoresistors connected in a Wheatstone bridge configuration

edge step
• Membrane thickness: 7 um
membrane
• Membrane width: 350 um
cavity
• Cavity height: 3.5 um
a
substrate

b a b

Increasing resistance Decreasing resistance

13
 From cavity to full molded package
MEMS

ASIC
1 mm

3 mm
3 mm

14
 MEMS for micro-actuation

Convert an electric current Micro-machined device able

into a mechanical output to move a tiny object, either The MEMS actuators use
causing the displacement or liquid or solid, with relatively different transduction
rotation of a mechanical small force and along a small schemes for their operation
structure distance

Piezo-electric + Electro-static

Electro-
Thermal
Electric Mechanical magnetic

15
Micromirrors portfolio

16
 Piezoelectric actuation: PZT

Zr4+

• The piezoelectric effect is a reversible process

• Direct piezoelectric effect: Strain → Charge (Sensing applications)
• Converse piezoelectric effect: Voltage → Stress/Strain (for Actuators)

17
 What is PZT
Solid solution: Pb(Zrx,Ti1-x)O3 – Perovskite structure

P along <111> P along <100>

Zr Ti
O
O
Pb
Pb

Pure PbZrO3 Pure PbTiO3

Rhomboedral Tetragonal

PZT has the best ferroelectric and piezoelectric performances at

morphotrophic phase boundary (MPB), where rhomboedral and tetragonal
phases coexist. MPB = Zr/Ti ~ 52/48 18
 Thin film piezo inkjet

• Working principle: ink volume displacement by a

PZT actuated membrane
• Thin-Film Piezo vs Thermal Inkjet Benefits
• Compatibility with wide variety of inks
• Higher printing speed
• Superior print output quality
• Extended print-head lifetime
• Digital printing vs. analog printing

19
 Thin film piezo inkjet

Si
Actuator Cavity

A PZT actuator
membrane

Si Ink Cavity

20
 Polight tlens®

TLens
poLight TLens® ®
unique performance enables new use cases No gravity
Constant field
impact
for smartphones not yet to be seen! of view

Low Test &

calibration cost
Instant
focus

High optical
Axis stability

Extremely low
power Y
consumption X
X
No magnetic
Small real interference
”We managed to replicate estate
the human eye” 21
 Working principle

A piezoelectric thin film acts like the muscle

22
 Device actuation

18 um thick glass (BPSG)

optical polymer silicon

droplet

back glass window

23
Optical power

24
Tlens®

25
 Conclusions
Sensors and actuators are enabling
more and more sophisticated technologies

Great demand of development of new actuators

based on PZT thin films

Just as for sensors, actuators are now

waiting for new disruptive applications

26
 Thank you

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