Mikrofabrikkerte

Mikrofabrikkerte is a term used in Swedish and Norwegian to describe structures and devices produced through microfabrication, a field focused on creating features on the micrometer or nanometer scale. These components are typically built on semiconductor wafers using repeated processing steps and are central to the modern electronics, photonics, and MEMS industries.

The microfabrication workflow combines lithography, deposition, and etching to pattern and shape materials. A typical sequence includes wafer cleaning, coating with a photoresist, exposing and developing a pattern via photolithography, depositing materials by chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, or atomic layer deposition, and transferring patterns through dry (plasma) or wet etching. Doping can modify electrical properties, while chemical–mechanical polishing may planarize surfaces before subsequent layers. Cleanroom environments and strict process control are essential to achieve uniform, high-yield devices.

Materials commonly used in mikrofabrikkerte structures include silicon as the primary substrate, with silicon dioxide and silicon nitride insulating layers, as well as metals and polymers for interconnects and packaging. The resulting devices cover a wide range of scales and applications, from integrated circuits to microelectromechanical systems and microfluidic chips.

Applications of microfabricated technologies include accelerometers and gyroscopes in consumer electronics, MEMS sensors, optical and microfluidic components, and lab-on-a-chip systems. Advantages include high integration density, low power consumption, and suitability for mass production, while challenges involve high capital costs, stringent fabrication tolerances, and the need for controlled environments.