Introduction to Microfabrication Techniques

The advent of photolithography literally brought about the integrated circuit (IC) revolution of the latter part of the twentieth century. Almost all electronic devices that we use today have one or more ICs inside. Improving lithography techniques led to smaller and smaller transistors, which translated into faster and more efficient computing machines. Photolithography also powered the advent of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), which are now starting to become more and more diverse in commercial products from mechanical to biomedical devices, helping to change the way people perceive the applicability of IC technology. In this chapter, we examine basic photolithography techniques and their uses in soft lithography and MEMS.