Design methodology for micromechanical systems at commercial CMOS foundries through MOSIS

A methodology is presented for the design and fabrication of micromechanical structures through MOSIS. These structures form a new class of devices which are based on electro-thermal-mechanical properties and can be fabricated at commercial foundries. Associated circuits can be integrated for communication and control. The technique is a method of making micro-electro-mechanical systems with minimal additional equipment cost using existing VLSI design capabilities. Examples of devices produced by this technique and applications are presented with tradeoffs compared to the traditional custom fabrication techniques. Current work is directed towards the development of standard libraries of micromechanical device designs and circuits for integrated measurement systems that could have NIST traceability