Microassembly technologies for MEMS components on flexible substrates

The paper describes the development of a microassembly station for mounting MEMS components on a flexible substrate. The core components are a micro hotplate mounted on a xy stage and a suction gripper with an integrated force sensor carried by a nanoslider (1DOF in z-Axis). A syringe with a 30 gauge needle, mounted on a PC controllable 3DOF micromanipulator, is driven by a microdispenser. Two micro cameras allow a precise alignment of the sensor on the substrate. The whole set up is PC controlled under Labview 8.5 [National Instruments]. The station allows processing of soldering paste, conductive glues and anisotropic conductive tape. Bonding trials with solder paste and conductive glues failed. The 3M Film 5552R showed best performances with low resistance electrical connections and with reliable mechanical bondings. Contact resistances below 0.5 ¿ were achieved. Additionally the overall process time is very low in comparison to other processes.