Microfabricage

Microfabricage refers to the set of processes used to create miniature structures and devices with dimensions ranging from micrometers to tens of nanometers. Rooted in semiconductor manufacturing, it underpins the production of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microfluidic networks, integrated photonics and other miniaturized technologies. The field combines patterning, deposition, etching and assembly techniques to sculpt materials into functional components.

Typical fabrication flows begin with substrate preparation and patterning by lithography (usually photolithography, and in research settings electron-beam lithography). This is followed by selective material deposition (chemical or physical vapor deposition), and etching (wet chemical or plasma-based). Planarization, often by chemical mechanical polishing, and the selective release of movable structures complete the basic process, sometimes using sacrificial layers.

Common materials include silicon, silicon dioxide, and silicon nitride, as well as glass and various polymers. Fabrication occurs in cleanrooms with strict contamination control; equipment includes lithography systems, etchers, deposition chambers and metrology tools such as profilometers and electron microscopes. Process control and yield management are central concerns due to defects and variability at small scales.

Applications range from accelerometers and gyroscopes in consumer electronics to microfluidic chips for biology and lab-on-a-chip systems, as well as optical and biomedical devices. Challenges include defect control, packaging, thermal budgeting, and high manufacturing costs, while ongoing advances—three-dimensional microfabrication, heterogeneous integration and new materials—continue to push feature size and performance.