The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of vacuum micro-packaging for devices such as MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers. Vacuum is critical for high Q-factor, surface-micromachined MEMS. Robust, low-cost solutions are needed for applications such as guided munitions and unattended sensors. Proposed work focuses on long-term reliability issues, such as outgassing, permeation, and metallization stability. In addition, scale-up from our current chip-scale process to wafer-scale will constitute a key proof-of-concept.
