Mario Francesco Cortese

Sensors and Actuators on CMOS Platforms

The monolithic or hybrid integration of sensors and actuators (S&A) onto CMOS platforms is of great importance to reduce the device size and cost as well as to facilitate new functionalities and better performance. Hence, S&As on CMOS platforms are important and convincing examples of “more than Moore.” This chapter focuses on a broad range of aspects of S&As on CMOS platforms. First, the basic concept is introduced, followed by a detailed description of the fundamentals of current S&A concepts. The current market situation is then described, demonstrating the great opportunities for S&As. A substantial part of the chapter is devoted to the various techniques and fabrication processes for monolithic and hybrid integration of S&As on CMOS. Successful examples of very large-scale integration (VLSI) ofS&As on CMOS platforms are also described. Current research into the use nanostructures for new or better S&A functionalities or improved performance is described in an additional subsection. Finally, the equally important back-end-of-the-line aspects in large-volume production, packaging, and testing are presented. The chapter closes with the authors’ outlook and view on the challenges and opportunities in research, development, production, and marketing of new and better S&As, VLSI-type S&As on single-chip CMOS platforms, and S&A networks.