MEMS inductors are used in a wide range of applications in micro- and nanotechnology, including RF MEMS, sensors, power electronics, and Bio-MEMS. Fabrication technologies set the boundary conditions for inductor design and their electrical and mechanical performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art MEMS technologies for inductor fabrication, presents recent advances in 3D additive fabrication technologies, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of MEMS inductors for two emerging applications, namely, integrated power electronics and neurotechnologies. Among the four top-down MEMS fabrication approaches, 3D surface micromachining and through-substrate-via (TSV) fabrication technology have been intensively studied to fabricate 3D inductors such as solenoid and toroid in-substrate TSV inductors. While 3D inductors are preferred for their high-quality factor, high power density, and low parasitic capacitance, in-substrate TSV inductors offer an additional unique advantage for 3D system integration and efficient thermal dissipation. These features make in-substrate TSV inductors promising to achieve the ultimate goal of monolithically integrated power converters. From another perspective, 3D bottom-up additive techniques such as ice lithography have great potential for fabricating inductors with geometries and specifications that are very challenging to achieve with established MEMS technologies. Finally, we discuss inspiring and emerging research opportunities for MEMS inductors.

MEMS 电感器广泛应用于微米和纳米技术领域，包括 RF MEMS、传感器、电力电子和生物 MEMS。制造技术为电感器设计及其电气和机械性能设定了边界条件。本综述全面概述了用于电感器制造的最先进 MEMS 技术，介绍了 3D 增材制造技术的最新进展，并讨论了 MEMS 电感器在集成电力电子和神经技术这两个新兴应用中面临的挑战和机遇。在四种自上而下的 MEMS 制造方法中，3D 表面微加工和基板通孔 (TSV) 制造技术已得到深入研究，用于制造 3D 电感器，例如螺线管和环形线圈基板内 TSV 电感器。虽然 3D 电感器因其高品质因数、高功率密度和低寄生电容而受到青睐，但衬底内 TSV 电感器为 3D 系统集成和高效散热提供了额外的独特优势。这些特性使得衬底内 TSV 电感器有望实现单片集成电源转换器的最终目标。从另一个角度来看，冰光刻等 3D 自下而上增材技术在制造具有现有 MEMS 技术难以实现的几何形状和规格的电感器方面具有巨大潜力。最后，我们讨论了 MEMS 电感器的鼓舞人心的新兴研究机会。