Fully Automated System Puts Optical MEMS Production To The Test

June 4, 2001

The industry's first fully automated production tester, Etec's M/STeP-o, specifically targets wafer/die microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-optoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS). Its users can test and characterize a wide range of MOEMS devices, including variable optical attenuators (VOAs), optical switches, optical cross connects (OXCs), and 2D and 3D micromirror arrays. M/STeP-o also provides optical, electrical, and mechanical testing in an integrated, turnkey system.

Users can characterize the displacement of the MEMS element as a function of applied stimulus (voltage/current). They also can measure in-plane and out-of-plane displacement in six degrees of freedom with nanometer resolution. Other typical functions include response time and resonance, as well as reflectivity and other surface characterization measurements.

M/STeP-o incorporates a high-performance wafer prober, a cassette-to-cassette wafer handler, a state-of-the-art optical head assembly, and a precision electrical stimulus/measurement package. An open-architecture software environment enables efficient product changeovers and easy operation. Data output formats include a wafer map and an SQL server database.

Additionally, M/STeP-o can test MOEMS wafers or die on film. Industry-standard automation permits straightforward integration into the production line. With it, MEMS device manufacturers are able to rapidly and cost-effectively deploy robust, high-volume production test solutions for current and future optical MEMS requirements.

The system supplies 4-, 8-, 16-, and 32-channel test-head modules that can be ganged for high-pin-count testing. M/STeP-o also features four bidirectional digital and two analog pins. One pin is available for peak-to-peak voltage device-under-test (DUT) programming.

M/STeP-o's parametric unit has four-quadrant voltage and current measurement capability and a force-voltage range of ±10 V at 16-bit resolution. There are four force-current ranges, at 16 bits, or 10 and 100 µA, as well as 1 and 100 mA. A digital pattern subsystem with 128 kbytes of memory depth features branching, looping, match-mode, and subroutine capabilities. Clock rates up to 50 MHz and DUT rates up to 25 MHz are possible.

The system is based on Windows NT. Pricing starts at about $550,000 and ranges up to about $1 million. Delivery is within 90 days.

Etec Inc., 83 Pine St., Peabody, MA 01960; (978) 535-7683; fax (978) 535-7003; www.etec-inc.com.

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.