Foreign development status of micromachining technology

In 1959, Richard P Feynman (who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965) put forward the idea of ​​micro-mechanics. In 1962, the first silicon micro pressure sensor was introduced, and micro-machines such as gears, gear pumps, pneumatic turbines and couplings with dimensions of 50-500 μm were developed. In 1965, Stanford University developed a silicon brain electrode probe, and later succeeded in scanning tunneling microscopy and microsensors. In 1987, the University of California at Berkeley developed a silicon microelectrostatic machine with a rotor diameter of 60 to 12 μm, demonstrating the potential to fabricate small movable structures using silicon micromachining processes and to be compatible with integrated circuits to create tiny systems.

Micromachines have been highly valued by government departments, business circles, universities and research institutions abroad. 15 scientists from MIT, Berkeley, Stanford\AT&T in the United States in the late 1980s proposed the "small machine, big opportunity: report on emerging fields - micro-kinetics" national proposal, claiming "due to micro-dynamics ( Microsystems) The urgency in the United States should be ahead of competition with other countries in such a new important technical field. It is recommended that the central government advances the cost of five years and 50 million US dollars, which is valued by the US leadership and continues to invest heavily. And aerospace, information and MEMS as the three major points of technological development.

NASA invested $100 million to develop the Discovery Microsatellite. The National Science Foundation has developed MEMS as a newly emerging research area to fund research on microelectromechanical systems. Since 1998, it has funded MIT. Eight universities including the University of California and Bell Labs are engaged in research and development in this field. The annual funding is from 1 million and 2 million to $5 million in 1993. The US Department of Defense Technology Plan, released in 1994, listed MEMS as a key technology project. The US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency actively leads and supports MEMS research and military applications. A MEMS standard process line has been built to facilitate the research and development of new components/devices. The US industry is primarily focused on research in sensors, sensors, displacement sensors, strain gauges, and accelerometers. Many organizations have participated in micromechanical systems such as Cornell University, Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin, and the Old Rendez Moore National Study. After the University of California, Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center (BSAC) received 15 million yuan from the Ministry of Defense and more than a dozen companies, it established a 1115m2 ultra-clean laboratory for research and development of MEMS.

In 1991, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan launched a 10-year, large-scale research project with a cost of 25 billion yen to develop two prototypes, one for medical treatment, for human diagnosis and micro surgery, and the other for industrial use. Maintenance of micro cracks in aircraft engines and atomic energy equipment. The program includes dozens of companies including the University of Tsukuba, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tohoku University, Waseda University, and Fujitsu Research Institute.

European industrialized countries have also made major investments in the research and development of micro-systems. Germany began its micro-processing ten-year project in 1988, and its Ministry of Science and Technology allocated 40,000 marks in 1990-1993 to support the "micro-system plan" research. The micro-system is listed as the focus of technological development at the beginning of the century. The first LIGA process in Germany provides a new technical means for the development of MEMS and has become the preferred process for the fabrication of three-dimensional structures. France launched the "Microsystems and Technology" project of 70 million francs in 1993. The European Community formed the "Multifunctional Microsystems Research Network NEXUS", which coordinated the research of 46 institutes. Switzerland has also invested in the development of MEMS based on its traditional watch manufacturing industry and small precision machinery industry. In 1992, it invested 10 million US dollars. The British government has also developed a nanoscience plan. Eight projects are listed for research and development in the fields of mechanics, optics, and electronics. In order to strengthen the power of developing MEMS in Europe, some European companies have formed the MEMS development group.

A large number of micro-mechanical or micro-systems have been developed. For example, a miniature dice with a tip diameter of 5 μm can hold a red blood cell. A micro pump with a size of 7 mm × 7 mm × 2 mm can flow up to 250 μl/min to start a car. A machine butterfly flying in a magnetic field, and a miniature inertia assembly (MIMU) that combines a micro speedometer, a microgyroscope, and a signal processing system. Germany created the LIGA process, which made cantilever beams, actuators and micro-pumps, micro-nozzles, humidity, flow sensors and a variety of optics. The California Institute of Technology glued a considerable number of 1mm microbeams to the airfoil to control its bending angle to affect the aerodynamics of the aircraft. The mass-produced silicon accelerometers in the United States integrate microsensors (mechanical parts) with integrated circuits (electrical signal sources, amplifiers, signal processing and positive-correction circuits, etc.) in a range of 3 mm × 3 mm on a silicon wafer. The micro-turning machine developed in Japan with a few centimeters square can process a fine shaft with an accuracy of 1.5 μm.