M3: Multiscale, Deterministic and Reconfigurable Macro-Micro Assembly System for Packaging of MEMS

This paper presents recent results in configuring a multiscale (macro-micro) robotic assembly platform with modular and reconfigurable characteristics. M3 is a multi-robot system capable of spanning across the macro-meso-micro scales, and has been specifically designed to package MOEMS (Micro Opto Electro Mechanical Systems). The emphasis on packaging (as opposed to assembly) is inclusive of the latter, but it also recognizes that bonding, sealing and attachment processes must also be controlled, and will greatly influence the reliability of the microsystem. The system components include precision robots, microstages, end-effectors and fixtures that accomplish assembly tasks in a shared workspace. The system components are systematically characterized in terms of accuracy and repeatability, and assembly plans are performed using kinematic identification, visual servoing, inverse kinematics, and dynamic vibration suppression. As an application packaging problem, various micro and meso scale parts are assembled into a MEMS device. The tolerance budget of assembly ranges from 4 microns to 300 microns, while the size of components in the assembly ranges from 126 microns to 30mm. Various end-effectors and fixtures have been designed for use with off-the-shelf hardware (robots and microstages) and were tested for precision performance. The robots are calibrated to accuracies of 10 microns or less. In this paper we present experimental results of precision robot calibration and visual servoing for fiber pigtailing with one of the robots within M3.