The image is a colorized Scanning Electron Micrograph
(SEM) of a high-aspect ratio MEMS device fabricated out of
single-crystal silicon by the MEMS and Nanotechnology
Exchange fabrication
network. The device itself is made from a
Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer where a relatively thick
single-crystal silicon device layer (shown in yellow and blue
in the image) has been etched into a complex micromechanical
element that can move under force. The underlying area,
shown in red in the image, is the SOI handle wafer which also
has been etched to form a circular hole completely through
the substrate. This image demonstrates the complexity of
micromechanical devices that can be realized using the MEMS
and Nanotechnology
Exchange.
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