Final Report Summary - MEMS MATURITY (MEMS Gyro - Maturity assessment of performance and integration)
Executive Summary:
The MEMS MATURITY program is the opportunity to optimize the best technology process for maturity assessment of the performance and the integration of high-performance high-stability MEMS gyrometers, adapted to the need of future Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA) Systems for Green Operation. TRONICS’ SFWA partner is THALES AVIONICS.
The program MEMS MATURITY had four goals:
1. To miniaturize the high performance gyro cell (Gyrix G-HP10 of THALES AVIONICS).
2. To identify the critical parameters of the process influencing the cell performance.
3. To assess the impact of the variability of the critical parameters on the cell performance.
4. To optimize the process for a repeatable manufacturing and to deliver optimized gyro cells to evaluate their performances in the sensor operational environment, together with THALES AVIONICS.
The overall final objective of this program was also to develop an industrial manufacturing environment for the Gyrix cell object. This environment should meet the performances needed for civil aeronautics applications. During this program, TRONICS mission was to improve the maturity of the Gyrix cell to bring it to a TRL 5 level.
The main results obtained on the 20 Gyrix G-HP10 cells will be presented and further perspectives will be reviewed.
Project Context and Objectives:
The MEMS MATURITY program is the opportunity to optimize the best technology process for maturity assessment of the performance and the integration of high-performance high-stability MEMS gyrometers, adapted to the need of future Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA) Systems for Green Operation. TRONICS’ SFWA partner is THALES AVIONICS.
The program MEMS MATURITY had four goals:
1. To miniaturize the high performance gyro cell (Gyrix G-HP10 of THALES AVIONICS).
2. To identify the critical parameters of the process influencing the cell performance.
3. To assess the impact of the variability of the critical parameters on the cell performance.
4. To optimize the process for a repeatable manufacturing and to deliver optimized gyro cells to evaluate their performances in the sensor operational environment, together with THALES AVIONICS.
The overall final objective of this program was also to develop an industrial manufacturing environment for the Gyrix cell object. This environment should meet the performances needed for civil aeronautics applications. During this program, TRONICS mission was to improve the maturity of the Gyrix cell to bring it to a TRL 5 level.
Project Results:
1. Work progress and achievements
The main results obtained during the project are summarized below.
a. Process and design optimization
During the project, the critical design parts and the critical process steps were identified.
For each item several batches were manufactured to test individually each modification/optimization. Each batch was validated at process levels and at cell performance test levels including environmental tests
A selection of the more promising ones was performed and then included in a first demonstrator batch.
Then a second demonstrator run with process optimization was manufactured to stabilize the process and reduce the variability on sensor performances. This run was constituted of 3 batches of 6 wafers.
The main results of the design optimization are:
• A reduction of the silicon dies size of 15% with lead to an increase of the number of dies per wafer of +26% with associated consequence on cost.
• Improvements of the die attach design to reduce residual stress on the sensing element that leads to performance improvement. 3 different die attach definitions were evaluated.
• Improvement of the ceramic package design to suppress some process operations and to reduce the size of the cell.
• Change of getter inside the cell to a cheaper one. Validation of non-regression on the vacuum level
For the process the main results are:
• Suppression of 2 major process steps leading to process simplification and reducing risk of contamination inside the cavity of the sensitive structure.
• Improvement on DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) vertical etching process by moving the process to new generation of DRIE equipment (GP3).
• Improvements of the die attach process in terms of quality and alignment that lead to yield increase.
• Improvement of dispersion on critical parameters such as capacitance of drive electrode. This is principally due to the use of new DRIE equipment. Regarding dispersion, the new equipment has reduced capacitance dispersion from about 5,5% for GP2 to about 3.5% on new GP3 (calculation on raw data for G2G3 capacitance value on several representative wafers on each equipment). Similar values are observed on drive frequency mode.
b. Results on the 20 Gyrix cells
20 Gyrix cells were delivered to Thales. Only 18 cells were functional with electronics (90%)
The bias performances in temperature were improved by a factor 4 by the definition and process optimization done on the cell during the project.
No regression has been measured on the other parameters (Scale Factor, Noise, Bias stability) which were already compliant with the target specifications.
Now the gyrometer is compatible of applications of 10°/h accuracy.
Potential Impact:
At the end of the MEMS Maturity project the Gyrix cells are now compatible of applications requiring gyros with 10°/h bias stability or better. In the coming year THALES and TRONICS will evaluate the commercial perspectives of such gyros and THALES will decide if it pursues the commercialization of the gyros.
Such gyro could be integrated into smart wings to reduce fuel consumption and could be integrated into other flight systems such as Heading And Reference Systems and secondary navigation equipment.
List of Websites:
Thales Avionics
Philippe Chaffraix
25, Rue Jules Védrine
26027 VALENCE
France
Tel: +33 4 75 79 35 17
philippe.chaffraix@thalesgroup.com
Tronics Microsystems
98, rue du Pré de l'Horme
38920 CROLLES
FRANCE
Tel: +33 4 76 97 29 60
vincent.gaff@tronicsgroup.com
The MEMS MATURITY program is the opportunity to optimize the best technology process for maturity assessment of the performance and the integration of high-performance high-stability MEMS gyrometers, adapted to the need of future Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA) Systems for Green Operation. TRONICS’ SFWA partner is THALES AVIONICS.
The program MEMS MATURITY had four goals:
1. To miniaturize the high performance gyro cell (Gyrix G-HP10 of THALES AVIONICS).
2. To identify the critical parameters of the process influencing the cell performance.
3. To assess the impact of the variability of the critical parameters on the cell performance.
4. To optimize the process for a repeatable manufacturing and to deliver optimized gyro cells to evaluate their performances in the sensor operational environment, together with THALES AVIONICS.
The overall final objective of this program was also to develop an industrial manufacturing environment for the Gyrix cell object. This environment should meet the performances needed for civil aeronautics applications. During this program, TRONICS mission was to improve the maturity of the Gyrix cell to bring it to a TRL 5 level.
The main results obtained on the 20 Gyrix G-HP10 cells will be presented and further perspectives will be reviewed.
Project Context and Objectives:
The MEMS MATURITY program is the opportunity to optimize the best technology process for maturity assessment of the performance and the integration of high-performance high-stability MEMS gyrometers, adapted to the need of future Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA) Systems for Green Operation. TRONICS’ SFWA partner is THALES AVIONICS.
The program MEMS MATURITY had four goals:
1. To miniaturize the high performance gyro cell (Gyrix G-HP10 of THALES AVIONICS).
2. To identify the critical parameters of the process influencing the cell performance.
3. To assess the impact of the variability of the critical parameters on the cell performance.
4. To optimize the process for a repeatable manufacturing and to deliver optimized gyro cells to evaluate their performances in the sensor operational environment, together with THALES AVIONICS.
The overall final objective of this program was also to develop an industrial manufacturing environment for the Gyrix cell object. This environment should meet the performances needed for civil aeronautics applications. During this program, TRONICS mission was to improve the maturity of the Gyrix cell to bring it to a TRL 5 level.
Project Results:
1. Work progress and achievements
The main results obtained during the project are summarized below.
a. Process and design optimization
During the project, the critical design parts and the critical process steps were identified.
For each item several batches were manufactured to test individually each modification/optimization. Each batch was validated at process levels and at cell performance test levels including environmental tests
A selection of the more promising ones was performed and then included in a first demonstrator batch.
Then a second demonstrator run with process optimization was manufactured to stabilize the process and reduce the variability on sensor performances. This run was constituted of 3 batches of 6 wafers.
The main results of the design optimization are:
• A reduction of the silicon dies size of 15% with lead to an increase of the number of dies per wafer of +26% with associated consequence on cost.
• Improvements of the die attach design to reduce residual stress on the sensing element that leads to performance improvement. 3 different die attach definitions were evaluated.
• Improvement of the ceramic package design to suppress some process operations and to reduce the size of the cell.
• Change of getter inside the cell to a cheaper one. Validation of non-regression on the vacuum level
For the process the main results are:
• Suppression of 2 major process steps leading to process simplification and reducing risk of contamination inside the cavity of the sensitive structure.
• Improvement on DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) vertical etching process by moving the process to new generation of DRIE equipment (GP3).
• Improvements of the die attach process in terms of quality and alignment that lead to yield increase.
• Improvement of dispersion on critical parameters such as capacitance of drive electrode. This is principally due to the use of new DRIE equipment. Regarding dispersion, the new equipment has reduced capacitance dispersion from about 5,5% for GP2 to about 3.5% on new GP3 (calculation on raw data for G2G3 capacitance value on several representative wafers on each equipment). Similar values are observed on drive frequency mode.
b. Results on the 20 Gyrix cells
20 Gyrix cells were delivered to Thales. Only 18 cells were functional with electronics (90%)
The bias performances in temperature were improved by a factor 4 by the definition and process optimization done on the cell during the project.
No regression has been measured on the other parameters (Scale Factor, Noise, Bias stability) which were already compliant with the target specifications.
Now the gyrometer is compatible of applications of 10°/h accuracy.
Potential Impact:
At the end of the MEMS Maturity project the Gyrix cells are now compatible of applications requiring gyros with 10°/h bias stability or better. In the coming year THALES and TRONICS will evaluate the commercial perspectives of such gyros and THALES will decide if it pursues the commercialization of the gyros.
Such gyro could be integrated into smart wings to reduce fuel consumption and could be integrated into other flight systems such as Heading And Reference Systems and secondary navigation equipment.
List of Websites:
Thales Avionics
Philippe Chaffraix
25, Rue Jules Védrine
26027 VALENCE
France
Tel: +33 4 75 79 35 17
philippe.chaffraix@thalesgroup.com
Tronics Microsystems
98, rue du Pré de l'Horme
38920 CROLLES
FRANCE
Tel: +33 4 76 97 29 60
vincent.gaff@tronicsgroup.com
