MEMS for Heterogeneous Integration of Devices and Functionality

Future MEMS systems will be composed of larger varieties of devices with very different functionality such as electronics, mechanics, optics and bio-chemistry. Integration technology of heterogeneous devices must be developed. This article first deals with the current development trend of new fabrication technologies; those include self-assembling of parts over a large area, wafer-scale encapsulation by wafer-bonding, nano imprinting, and roll-to-roll printing. In the latter half of the article, the concept towards the heterogeneous integration of devices and functionality into micro/nano systems is described. The key idea is to combine the conventional top-down technologies and the novel bottom-up technologies for building nano systems. A simple example is the carbon nano tube interconnection that is grown in the via-hole of a VLSI chip. In the laboratory level, the position-specific self-assembly of nano parts on a DNA template was demonstrated through hybridization of probe DNA segments attached to the parts. Also, bio molecular motors were incorporated in a micro fluidic system and utilized as a nano actuator for transporting objects in the channel.