Non-silicon MEMS – the hard and soft alternatives

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to provide details of MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) sensors produced from materials other than silicon. Design/methodology/approach Following a short introduction, this first considers reasons for using alternatives to silicon. It then discusses MEMS sensor products and research involving sapphire, quartz, silicon carbide and aluminium nitride. It then considers polymer and paper MEMS sensor developments and concludes with a brief discussion. Findings MEMS sensors based on the “hard” materials are well-suited to very-high-temperature- and precision-sensing applications. Some have been commercialised and there is a strong, on-going body of research. Polymer MEMS sensors are attracting great interest from the research community and have the potential to yield devices for both physical and molecular sensing that are inexpensive and simple to fabricate. The prospects for paper MEMS remain unclear but the technology may ultimately find uses in ultra-low-cost sensing of low-magnitude mechanical variables. Originality/value This provides a technical insight into the increasingly important role played by MEMS sensors fabricated from materials other than silicon.