The European consortium of research centers and industry partners known as Q2M has developed microfabrication methods that permit the combining of previously incompatible materials such as CMOS electronics, thin crystalline layers, piezoelectric material, memory metals and polymers.
A micromirror, microvalve and microswitch.
The materials are combined at low temperatures using transfer bonding technologies. “Decimeter-scale areas of high-performance material layers are transferred to microstructured surfaces of semiconductor or polymer material, using either glue-like adhesive polymers or solder-like techniques,” explained Wouter van der Wijngaart, Q2M project coordinator and associate professor at
KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s Microsystem Technology Lab, Stockholm, Sweden.
During the past 3 years, the consortium has successfully tested the new methodologies in four MEMS technologies: micromirror systems for medical diagnostics and therapeutics for ophthalmological uses; low-cost microvalves for better control of liquids and gases; integrated microswitches for use in wireless communication systems; and atomic force microscopy tips.
Sponsored by the European Union, Q2M consists of 12 academic and technology research companies committed to developing new technologies for heterogeneous material integration. The consortium is coordinated by KTH.
Click here to read the full report.
New technologies for heterogeneous microfabrication
