THE LIGA TECHNIQUE AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR MICROSYSTEMS - A SURVEY

The LIGA technique which is being developed at the Research Center Kar lsruhe offers the possibility to manufacture microstructures with arbi trary lateral geometry, lateral dimensions down to below 1 mu m and as pect ratios up to 500 from a variety of materials (metals, plastics, a nd ceramics). The basic steps of X-ray lithography, electroplating, an d plastic molding, are briefly described. Examples of applications of the LIGA technique are: optical components (high performance microspec trometer), mechanical components (acceleration sensor with integrated temperature compensation), and fluidic components (micropumps) which a re presented and discussed. Microcomponents will be of limited interes t in the future if it will not be possible to integrate them into micr osystems. Microsystems must be more powerful than the sum total of the ir components. This is discussed in the final chapter of this article.