Microassembly of PZT Actuators into Silicon Microstructures

Abstract

This letter presents the fabrication process of a hybrid MEMS device, which integrates PZT (PbZrTiO₃) actuators into a silicon microstructure. A microassembly technique which employs vertical well structures to allow precise positioning of MEMS devices onto a substrate, is demonstrated in this paper. The silicon microstructure is fabricated by deep reactive ion etching, and metal patterns are formed on it by photolithography using a thick photoresist. Ceramic PZT actuators are also fabricated using micro fabrication processes. The stacked PZT actuators are inserted into photoresist frame, and mechanically and electrically connected to the silicon structure using Ni electroplating. Using this method, the fabrication of micro XY-stage with Si-PZT hybrid structures is demonstrated. This technique is applicable to any number or combination of MEMS devices which require precise positioning onto a substrate, under micron-scale tolerances.