Sammy Kayali, NASA JPL, USA Reliability and Qualification of Advanced Microelectronics
for Space Applications
Abstract:
New spacecraft designs require highly advanced state-of-the-art microelectronic
devices and structures developed and fabricated at research and development
laboratories for a specific application and in small quantities. It is
critical that a cost effective and efficient reliability and qualification
approach is used to determine the suitability of the technology in question
to the intended application. However, the nature of the developments at
research and development laboratories and the limited production volume
makes this a difficult issue to address. This paper provides a discussion
of the subject and an approach to establish a reliability and qualification
methodology to facilitate the utilization of state-of-the-art advanced
microelectronic devices and structures in high reliability applications.
Srinivas
Tadigadapa, Pensylvania State University, USA MEMS Package Reliability for Space Applications
Abstract:
Traditionally, MEMS-components have been made by separating the MEMS chip
design and fabrication processes from the packaging and reliability issues.
This "evolutionary" partitioning of microsystems has led to
long incubation times for the commercial success of MEMS based products.
Reliability depends on the mutual compatibility of (i) the various parts
of the microsystem with respect to the desired functionality, and (ii)
choice of designs and materials from the standpoint of long-term repeatability
and performance accuracy. Reliability testing also provides techniques
for compensation, and an understanding of the catastrophic failure mechanisms
in microsystems. It is imperative that the successful design and realization
of a microsystems or MEMS product must include all levels of packaging
and reliability issues from the onset of the project. This presentation
will discuss, MEMS packaging and reliability issues with examples for
space applications.
Reliability (R2)
Session
chair:Laurent
Marchand, ESA, France
Speakers:
Oudea
Coumar, EADS-LV, France Space Radiation Sources and Effects on MEMS
Technologies and Devices
Abstract:
The space radiation environment is becoming a greater concern to space
missions. The increasing sensitivity to these environments is the result
of a number of uses of new technologies in spacecraft development. The
radiation environment is very diverse including energetic electrons and
protons in the radiation belts, solar energetic particle events, galactic
cosmic rays, and secondary radiations generated by these primary sources
interacting with components, equipments, systems and materials in the
spacecraft.
MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) is an emerging technology
with a wide range of applications: automotive, biomedical and scientific.
It is a technology that combines microelectronics and micro mechanical
devices on a single substrate or on a hybrid. The growth of MEMS has attracted
space industry interests in the areas of micro sensors and micro actuators.
For next generation of spacecraft (small or big) will need highly scaled,
low power, light weight systems that are capable of very high performance.
Achieving these goals for future missions will require MEMS
On board electronics of the spacecraft are becoming more
sophisticated, with more on-board processing being done, they carry ever-improving
sensors and other technological innovations, like MEMS. Increasingly performant
technologies inevitably become more radiation-sensitive and sensitive
to effects of electrostatic discharge. For the MEMS, there is a clear
move towards the use of COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) in space, which
are not specially hardened.
Radiation testing of MEMS devices has proved to be a very
"mixed-bag". One MEMS device [Buchner-96] has shown a marked
sensitivity to TID (Total Induced Dose) wherein accumulated charge in
an insulating region of the device caused the mechanical section (a capacitance
bridge) to malfunction. The focus of the analyses was to determine if
a MEMS device has a radiation response that is unique relative to a purely
microelectronic device. Many of these devices include moving mechanical
parts fabricated in the Si substrate that are subject to bias effects,
such as capacitance controlled cantilever beams, and these structures
also contain oxides and other insulators that can accumulate radiation-induced
charge. The effects of these on MEMS space use are summarized with some
recent examples.
Reliability (R3)
Session
chair:Francis
Pressecq, ESA, France
Speakers:
Rajeshuni
Ramesham, NASA JPL, USA MEMS Reliability: Review of the Present
and Vision for the Future
Abstract:
This paper discusses the fabrication aspects of a sensor device that is
based on a sputter deposited multilayer giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor.
The device consists of a micromachined microstructure (membrane), a GMR
sensor, and a hard magnetic film sputtered onto the membrane. The GMR
sensor detects the membrane acceleration by sensing the changes in magnetic
field caused by the displacement of the hard magnetic film on the microstructure.
Very thin (0.5 µm) silicon nitride membranes are fabricated by means
of anisotropic bulk micromachining of silicon wafer. A reliable GMR-MEMS
device must have characteristics such as a high percentage change in resistance,
a high field resistance, a low resistance noise, and a large bandwidth.
These characteristics strongly depend on the thickness of the various
layers in sensor device multilayers, the composition and microstructure
of the individual layers. Deposition and patterning of hard magnetic film
over the microstructure and the bonding of this microstructure over the
GMR element are also discussed. The fabrication and reliability issues
associated with GMR-MEMS devices have been discussed.
KeyWords: GMR, MEMS, spin valves, micromachining, and hard
magnetic layers.
Muriel
Dardalhon, CNES/EADS-LV / LIRMM, France Reliability Analysis of CMOS MEMS Structures Obtained
by Front Side Bulk Micromachining
Abstract the propose of this presentation is:
Quantification of the reliability under various environmental
conditions and stresses
- characterization protocol
- reliability test plan
Determination of the possible weaknesses of FSBM devices
Reliability and failure mechanisms understanding
Long-term goal : prediction of the ultimate failure
any design in this technology
Sebastien
Rigo, CNES, France Determination, with a Nanoindentor, of the
Stiffness of the Structures Used in the Microswitch
Reliability (R4)
Session
chair:Rajeshuni
Ramesham, NASA JPL, USA
Speakers:
Francis
Pressecq, CNES, France Quality and Reliability Issues for MEMS
and Microtechnology Use in Space System
Abstract Microsystems today are still in the growing phase : from the concept
of the smart sensor developed in the early 80's to the feasibility of
very small integrated systems reached in the 90's, research and development
activities are in a constant progression. After an euphoric phase started
in 1995, MEMS are starting to be present in all commercial sectors : automotive,
computer systems, telecommunication, biomedical and space. However,
in terms of market penetration the situation is not so clear : there are
few MEMS in commercial off the shell products, many prototypes in laboratories
and huge investments !
This situation is a new one for the space industry. In fact,
space products need to be well stabilized especially concerning technologies
for innovative systems. But for Microsystems, agencies and main contractors
seen to have decided to take the way of innovation : the microsmall world
must be megabeautiful !
From a reliability point of view this situation is also
a new one. In the past, the working scheme for an engineer in thequality
domain (reliability, failure analysis, technological analysis )
was : Well known and qualified products (SCC standard for example).
In this case, quality assurance activities consist of performing evaluation,
qualification and maintenance of qualification,
COTS : electronic components mass produced for commercial
applications. Technological activities for
COTS are more focussed on markets and technology surveys,
Dedicated products or components only produced
for space activities (optical detectors for example). There is
a strong link between agencies and foundries that help quality assurance
activities.
MEMS quality assurance cannot be included in one of these
schemes mainly because mass production only deals with products generally
not useful for space systems (e.g. inkjet parts, hard disk heads )
and mass volume foundries are not "open" to small customers.
The failure and technology analysis lab of the CNES has proposed a new
approach based on a tight relationship between
Daryl
Sargent, Draper Lab, USA
Abstract:
Micromachined silicon inertial sensors offer revolutionary improvements
in cost, size, and reliability for Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C).
Batch manufacturing techniques produce thousands of virtually identical
microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices, each a few square millimeters
in size. Development of inertial MEMS is driven by the high-volume, commercial
market that targets modest performance applications at prices below $10
per axis. Draper Laboratory has recently demonstrated higher performance,
multi-axis systems using commercial processes for lower-volume tactical
applications ranging from guided munitions to micro-satellites. More accurate
sensors enabled by Deep Reactive Ion Etch technology and new digital electronics
are rapidly approaching a bias stabilities of 1 deg/h and 100 µg
over -40C to +85C. Future architectures under development reflect a radical
departure from early demonstration systems. The Draper Laboratory has
successfully imbedded these technologies in a wide variety of tactical,
strategic, and space applications, and have addressed the critical issues
of producibility, reliability, and tolerance to extreme environments
necessary
for these applications
Astrium, Germany MST space qualification approaches