A novel technology for MEMS based on the agglomeration of powder by atomic layer deposition

A novel disruptive fabrication technique for MEMS is presented, based on the agglomeration of powders into three-dimensional porous structures by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Since ALD is performed at low temperatures, such structures can be created from a broad variety of materials on top or embedded within a substrate. The porous structures are thermally and mechanically robust enough to allow further processing of such substrates in a common back-end-of-line (BEOL) environment. The new technique extends the variety of functional materials for MEMS. Moreover, 3D microstructures with certain porosity and a large inner surface with tailored properties can be fabricated in a simple manner. That opens up unique prospects for future MEMS.