Enabling Manufacturing Technologies - Implications of Emerging Micro-and Nanotechnologies - page 141

FIGURE 4-7 Rotapod MEMS device. SOURCE: Randall, J. 2001. MEMS/Nano Tech-
nology for Assembly of Systems. Briefing by John Randall, Vice President for Research
and Chief Technology Officer, Zyvex, to the Committee on Implications of Emerging
Micro and Nano Technology, DoubleTree Hotel, Albuquerque, N. Mex., November 8.
will pave the way for assembly of parts smaller than can be handled manually or
with conventional automation equipment. Further, once a low-cost assembly
manufacturing process is available, many systems being attempted with mono-
lithic integration approaches will find much more success with separate opti-
mized processes for different components that can then be assembled into com-
plex functional units.
DNA-Assisted Assembly
Future photolithographic processes are expected to provide nanoscale metal
oxide semiconductor transistors and other semiconductor-type devices. But truly
monolithic, heterogeneous integration of photonic, microelectronic, MEMS, and
microfluidic components into one chip is both difficult and expensive. The diffi-
culty arises from the incompatibilities of the functional materials and of the
various fabrication processes required to optimize each type of device. In addition,
while many new molecular and nanoscale components are under investigation
(Chapter 3), their homogeneous and heterogeneous integration into higher-order
two- and three-dimensional structures and devices will not be straightforward
with standard fabrication and lithographic processes.
As a result of these limitations, hybrid heterogeneous integration methods
are being extensively investigated, for example, flip-chip bonding and wafer