Integrating NiCr-based Thin Film Micro-heater onto Electrode Header: A Review and Perspectives

As an important part of MEMS initiator, film micro-heater can meet the development needs of low-energy and miniaturization of MEMS initiator. Among them, Ni-Cr film micro-heater has attracted much attention due to its stable performance. Ni-Cr film micro-heater is composed of substrate, nickel-chromium film and pad film. According to different substrate types, it can be divided into two types of integrated structures, one is Thin-Film-on-Chip, and the other is Thin-Film-on-Header. The main difference between the two is that Thin-Film-on-Header has a higher degree of integration and is more in line with future development requirements, but the production process is complex and the consistency is poor; the production process of Thin-Film-on-Chip is simple and can be mass-produced, but the degree of integration is low. In addition, the nickel-chromium film micro-heater has the characteristics of high ignition reliability, good safety performance, and fast response. It is widely used in gas generators for automobile airbags and other devices, and can also be used in ignition devices in military products such as micro-sized ammunition.