Micro-/Nano-Integration for MEMS based on nano-robotic assembly

The integration of nanoscale features into micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) is today a widely discussed topic. The goal is hereby to exploit the advantages offered by nanoscale functional structures on the MEMS device. Besides the obvious miniaturization, further effects can be exploited, e.g. superior material properties of carbon nanotubes (CNT). Generally, two integration techniques can be distinguished: At first, the limits of conventional MEMS batch processing are pushed towards the nanoscale, e.g. through improved masks. Secondly, serial processing techniques based on nanoscale assembly and charged particle beam-based structuring allow to integrate nanoscale functional features and to customize MEMS devices. In this paper the major challenges and solutions for the latter approach will be discussed and illustrated by an example.