Selecting a process paradigm for an emergent disruptive technology: evidence from the emerging microsystems technology base

Emergent technologies often suffer from a lack of an installed manufacturing base and an obvious dominant manufacturing technique. Firms which base their search for competitive advantage on emergent disruptive technologies must make hard production choices and endure major manufacturing discontinuities. We, as well as many other firms, are now facing these challenges with the embrace of microsystems technologies. Efficient manufacturing techniques for these devices have the potential to change every aspect of our daily lives. The microsystems technology base can be grouped into three disparate categories: bulk micromachining, sacrificial surface micromachining (SSM), and LIGA. Each of these categories employs a markedly different set of capital and intellectual resources. Sandia has long been associated as a pioneer in the development of new manufacturing techniques. Microsystems is just the current in a long line of manufacturing technologies that have been considered for mission critical system applications. We, as well as others, have had to make the hard choice of investing in specific microsystems manufacturing techniques. Important considerations in our technique choice include: the existing internal manufacturing bases, commonality with existing commercial manufacturing infrastructure, current and projected critical performance characteristics, learning curves, the promise to add new but unthought-of functionally to existing systems, and the anticipated ability to qualify devices built from the technique for mission critical applications.