• Substrate Preparation: Starting with 6-inch or larger silicon or SOI wafers, sometimes using SiC for specialized high-temperature applications.
• Deposition & Patterning: Layers of materials (polysilicon, metal) are deposited via LPCVD or sputtering, then patterned using photolithography to define sensor structures.
• Bulk Micromachining (DRIE): Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) is used to create high-aspect-ratio, vertical structures, such as the proof mass and flexible beams, often using alternating
  

  $S{F}_6/C_4{F}_8$
  gases for etching and passivation.
• Wafer Bonding : Anodic bonding is frequently used to attach the silicon wafer to glass substrates, providing structural support and packaging (glass-silicon-glass).
• Release Etch: Sacrificial layers (e.g., oxide) are removed to free the suspended movable mechanical structures.
• Packaging & Testing: The wafer is diced, and individual dies are packaged, with final testing for sensitivity and bias drift.

• Surface vs. Bulk: Surface micromachining builds structures on the wafer, while bulk micromachining (more common for high-performance accelerometers) carves into the substrate.
• 3-Axis Optimization: Production often uses comb finger structures for in-plane (x, y) and sandwich structures for out-of-plane (z) sensing, enabling 3-axis devices on a single die.
• Yield Improvement: Utilizing standard CMOS-compatible, automated, and high-vacuum bonding techniques ensures high process yields for commercial, navigation-grade, or consumer applications.

A method of fabricating MEMS accelerometers | IEEE Conference Publication

The fabrication process uses two major techniques: * Wafer bonding * Silicon deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) The process can be adap...

IEEE Xplore

MEMS FABRICATION - Carnegie Mellon University

MEMS are made using the same standard process steps used in integrated circuit manufacturing, including photolithography, wet and ...

Carnegie Mellon University

A Bulk-Micromachined Three-Axis Capacitive MEMS Accelerometer ...

Aug 7, 2015 — The fabrication process is based on the formation of a glass-silicon-glass multi-stack. First, a 35-μm (111) silicon structural la...

IEEE Xplore

Design and Fabrication of a Slanted-Beam MEMS ...

Thus, these MIMUs are suffering from the disadvantages of bulky package volume and possible assembly misalignment. To overcome the...

National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov)

A Micromachined Silicon-on-Glass Accelerometer with an Optimized ...

Sep 22, 2024 — 2.3. Fabrication Process. In this optimized SOG procedure, 6-inch BF33 glass wafers (Schott, Mainz, Germany) are utilized, possess...

National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov)

Design, fabrication and test of a bulk SiC MEMS accelerometer

May 1, 2022 — Due to the difficulty of bulk-SiC fabrication process and the complex structure of MEMS accelerometers, there are few studies on b...

ScienceDirect.com

Fabricating MEMS and Nanotechnology - MEMS Exchange

However, the common theme involves a sequence of steps starting with the deposition of some thin-film material to act as a tempora...

MEMS Exchange

1m

MEMS Sensors and How to Make Them

YouTube · Blueprint

45s

YouTube

YouTube · New Mind

How Are MEMS Fabricated? | Bench Talk - Mouser Electronics

Nov 27, 2023 — For example, epitaxy, sputtering, evaporation, chemical-vapor deposition, and spin-on fabrication methods are all used to deposit ...

Mouser Electronics