A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device might function perfectly well in the controlled environment in which it has been created. However, the device can be a real viable product only after it has been fabricated with proven performance in a package. As such, the assembly yield of a MEMS package is often a challenging target to meet. The design and fabrication of a free-floating membrane on a flexible substrate to enable easy and cost-effective packaging of MEMS devices is examined. Since standard MEMS fabrication processes are designed for rigid substrates, several process modifications were required to handle flexible substrates. The adaptation of each fabrication process has been documented. Furthermore, detailed information regarding the selection of compatible materials, as well as incompatibilities that were encountered, has been presented to aid future researchers in developing processes for flexible substrates.
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