Development of amorphous SiC for MEMS-based microbridges

James B. Summers; Maximilian Scardelletti; Rocco Parro; Christian A. Zorman

doi:10.1117/12.704705

12 February 2007 Development of amorphous SiC for MEMS-based microbridges

James B. Summers, Maximilian Scardelletti, Rocco Parro, Christian A. Zorman

Proceedings Volume 6464, MEMS/MOEMS Components and Their Applications IV; 64640H (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.704705
Event: MOEMS-MEMS 2007 Micro and Nanofabrication, 2007, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

This paper reports our effort to develop amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) films specifically designed for MEMS-based microbridges using methane and silane as the precursor gases. In our work, the a-SiC:H films were deposited in a simple, commercial PECVD system at a fixed temperature of 300°C. Films with thicknesses from 100 nm to 1000 nm, a typical range for many MEMS applications, were deposited. Deposition parameters such as deposition pressure and methane-to-silane ratio were varied in order to obtain films with suitable residual stresses. Average residual stress in the as-deposited films selected for device fabrication was found by wafer curvature measurements to be -658 ± 22 MPa, which could be converted to 177 ± 40 MPa after thermal annealing at 450°C, making them suitable for micromachined bridges, membranes and other anchored structures. Bulk micromachined membranes were constructed to determine the Young's modulus of the annealed films, which was found to be 205 ± 6 GPa. Chemical inertness was tested in aggressive solutions such as KOH and HF. Prototype microbridge actuators were fabricated using a simple surface micromachining process to assess the potential of the a-SiC:H films as structural layers for MEMS applications.

Citation Download Citation

James B. Summers, Maximilian Scardelletti, Rocco Parro, and Christian A. Zorman "Development of amorphous SiC for MEMS-based microbridges", Proc. SPIE 6464, MEMS/MOEMS Components and Their Applications IV, 64640H (12 February 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.704705

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available