Micro Mechanical Components and Structures Etched From Silicon

Essential to the construction of micro-mechanical systems is the ability to manufacture micro-mechanical components. Historically, the chronometer industry has been the repository of fine mechanical skills and the source of precision, micro-mechanical components. However, the development of silicon micromachining [1]-[3] and the increasing diversity and sophistication of anisotropic etching techniques make micro-mechanical structures and devices feasible in forms and scales which could not have been imagined by early watchmakers. Micro-mechanical structures, on the scale of tens-of-microns, can be fabricated inexpensively, accurately and repeatedly. Once these micro-structures are cut free from their silicon substrates, these silicon components can be used to build a wide array of micro-mechanical systems. Moreover, the use of silicon enables the eventual integration of sensors, actuators, mechanical structures and control circuitry on the same substrate.