Automating Metal Lift-Off for Mass MEMS Production

AMI Semiconductor and the Indigo Operations of FLIR were challenged to transfer a microbolometer manufacturing process from a class 1000 Fab to a class 1 facility. Since this micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) process includes several a-typical metals for which there is no established plasma etch chemistry, it requires lift-off processing for metal patterning. To facilitate metal stringer removal, the original process included a manual swab of the wafers. Using a solvent jet and dry CO2 particulate surface treatment in tandem proved an automated method of performing this lift-off for mass MEMS production.