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Galvanic Growth

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Silicon Sensors and Actuators

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Abstract

In MEMS fabrication, metallic films deposition by ion reduction from a solution may be performed either with electroplating or electroless process. Both techniques are suitable for MEMS application, depending on the desired deposit proprieties and on the required integration process. Deposition rate in electroless processes is generally quite slow, so for thick deposits, Electro-Chemical Deposition (ECD) is usually preferred. Furthermore, when the required metal thickness is higher than 0.5–1.0 μm and/or the active area (metal which remains on wafer) is very low, through-mask ECD is preferred with respect to a PVD/wet etch patterning approach. This is because in the latter case there is a higher metal waste and therefore a consequent higher cost. Through-mask electrochemical deposition is commonly used to generate bumps for wiring interconnections (e.g., to connect MEMS sensor with its ASIC) and for wafer to wafer bonding. Thick metal structures are also required in electromagnetic devices where actuation occurs (e.g., μMirror, ref. chapter). Section 8.1 of this chapter provides a summary of electroplating theory, while process integration on silicon wafers and ECD front-end tools are described in Sects. 8.2 and 8.3, respectively. Peculiar ECD techniques used in MEMS field like stacked metal plating and alloy plating are presented in Sects. 8.4 and 8.5. Section 8.6 is dedicated to an in-depth study of ECD baths and techniques to electroplate pure metals (gold, copper, nickel, and tin) or alloys (case study: Ni-Fe permalloy). Finally, a brief description of electrochemical gold etch technique (gold de-plating) is provided at the end of the same section.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ST Microelectronics, Analog MEMS and Sensors Group, MEMS Technology and Design R&D, Agrate Brianza, Monza Brianza, Italy

    Giuseppe Visalli, Riccardo Gianola & Linda Montagna

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Visalli
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  2. Riccardo Gianola
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  3. Linda Montagna
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Correspondence to Riccardo Gianola .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Analog MEMS & Sensors R&D, STMicroelectronics (Italy), Cornaredo, Milano, Italy

    Benedetto Vigna

  2. ST Microelectronics, Analog MEMS and Sensors Group, MEMS Technology and Design R&D, Agrate Brianza, Monza Brianza, Italy

    Paolo Ferrari

  3. ST Microelectronics, Analog MEMS and Sensors Group, MEMS Technology and Design R&D, Agrate Brianza, Monza Brianza, Italy

    Flavio Francesco Villa

  4. Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, STMicroelectronics (Italy), Cornaredo, Milano, Italy

    Ernesto Lasalandra

  5. Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, STMicroelectronics (Italy), Cornaredo, Milano, Italy

    Sarah Zerbini

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Visalli, G., Gianola, R., Montagna, L. (2022). Galvanic Growth. In: Vigna, B., Ferrari, P., Villa, F.F., Lasalandra, E., Zerbini, S. (eds) Silicon Sensors and Actuators. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80135-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80135-9_8

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