A highly flexible design and production framework for modularized microelectromechanical systems

A highly flexible modular design and production framework for microelectrom echanical systems, suitable for midscale production at reasonable costs, is introduced. The modular framework consists of a manufacturer set and an ap plication kit. It allows for considerable reduction of design and productio n expenditure whilst retaining maximum technical flexibility. A novel packa ge design for the realization of modular microelectromechanical systems, na med Top-Bottom Ball Grid Array (TB-BGA), is presented. Development and stan dardization of homogeneous mechanical, optical, information, power supply a nd media interfaces are discussed. The feasibility of the modular approach is demonstrated by the realization of modular microsystems combining TB-BGA multimodule stacks, interfaces, plugs, and enclosure. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sc ience S.A. All rights reserved.