Micro manufacturing is the production of small parts and systems. The micro manufacturing market includes micromachining, but also micro-injection molding and micro-assembly.

High-Volume Micro Manufacturing

The [LSI keyword: micro manufacturing market] for high-volume applications uses processes derived from semiconductor manufacturing. Lithography: transferring a pattern from a mask to a photosensitive layer (photoresist). The micro manufacturing market for "step-and-repeat" lithography (steppers) is used for MEMS and microfluidics. Etching: removing material (chemical or plasma) to create features. The micro manufacturing market for "deep reactive ion etching" (DRIE) is used to create deep, high-aspect-ratio features in silicon. Deposition: adding material (thin films) using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD). The micro manufacturing market for "sputtering" (a type of PVD) is used for metal layers. The micro manufacturing market for "atomic layer deposition" (ALD) (for extremely thin, conformal coatings) is used for advanced MEMS. Micro-injection molding: injecting molten polymer into a micro-cavity mold. The micro manufacturing market for micro-molding is used for producing high-volume plastic parts (e.g., micro-connectors, microfluidic chips). Micro-assembly: assembling small components using pick-and-place robots. The micro manufacturing market for "robotic" assembly is used for watch movements and for some MEMS packaging.

The micro manufacturing market for "wafer-level" packaging (WLP) is used to package MEMS and microchips at the wafer scale (before dicing), reducing cost. The micro manufacturing market for "3D" integration (stacking chips) uses through-silicon vias (TSVs) and micro-bumps.

The Cleanroom Environment

The micro manufacturing market operates in cleanrooms (ISO Class 5 to 7). Dust particles can ruin features. The micro manufacturing market for "cleanroom" robotics and automation is specialized. The micro manufacturing market for "wafer handling" (using vacuum wands and edge grippers) is essential. The micro manufacturing market for "inspection" (using optical microscopes and SEM) is done within the cleanroom. As the micro manufacturing market continues to evolve, the focus will be on "high-throughput" processes (to reduce cost), on "large-area" processing (for flat-panel displays), and on "roll-to-roll" manufacturing (for flexible electronics). The micro manufacturing market is the engine of the micro-tech revolution.

Understand industry shifts with well-researched analysis:

japan gas turbine market

japan lead acid battery market

japan pipeline integrity market

japan solar inverter market