Project MEMS - January 2009 - (Page 6) cover Story lifecycle has unique test goals and requirements with very different results. In the product R&D phase, proving the device works and that it can be manufactured. In this phase, wafer-level test enables early device characterization, which reduces development time and, of course, development costs up to 15%. In addition, reliability issues are of a major importance for the successful commercialization of the MEMS device. Therefore wafer-level test in the R&D phase is essential. In the pilot production phase, the goals are to prove manufacturability in highyield volumes and to develop a production-equipment solution as well as establish testing needs for volume. Here, both development time and costs can be reduced through on-wafer test. In the volume production phase, the goals are to maximize throughput and reduce costs. Since the typical yield of MEMS production is much lower than in the IC production, and since cost breakdowns show that 60% to 80% of manufacturing costs are incurred during and after packaging, earlystage test provides a significant cost reduction for the volume production of MEMS (see Fig. 1). The real cost savings depend on the actual production environment and the type of the MEMS component. However beneficial early testing may be, standard, off-the-shelf test equipment has been difficult for most manufacturers to find. In addition to electrical stimulation and electrical measurement, devices may require testing using sound, light, vibration, fluidics, pressure, temperature, chemical, or force stimulation. As a result of this input stimulation, the test engineer may need to measure any of these categories in addition to detecting and measuring mechanical, optical, or electrical Project Contents Viewpoint MeMS Solutions for Testing MEMS Devices on the Wafer Level Wireless Sensor Networks Have Arrived Choosing the Right Material for RF Packaging THE REAL COST SAVINGS DEPEND ON THE ACTUAL PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT AND THE TYPE OF THE MEMS COMPONENT. Home Page Product Training Module Online Ordering Suppliers Catalog Fig. 1. Early testing of MEMS devices can reduce cost and improve yield. 6 | P r o j E C T M E M S | vo L . 1 / N o . 1 http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;210306059;32013581;o?http://www.digikey.com/ http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;210306059;32013581;o?http://www.digikey.com/ http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;210306136;32013581;k?http://digikey.com/PTM/PTMMaster.page?site=us&lang=en http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;210306155;32013581;l?http://ordering.digikey.com/ordering/addpart.aspx?site=US&source=search http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;210306414;32013581;j?http://digikey.com/Suppliers/SupplierIndex.page?site=us&lang=en http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;210306629;32013581;r?http://dkc1.digikey.com/us/en/pdf/Current.html
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