Low-power hermetically sealed on-chip plasma light source micromachined in glass

Carazzetti, Patrick; Renaud, Philippe; Shea, Herbert

doi:10.1109/memsys.2008.4443782

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…We report on the fabrication process and optical spectra obtained from this light source in [16] for different gases and pressures. Applications for such a light source include optical pumping in chip-scale atomic clocks, leak detection, and outgassing characterization.…”

Section: B a 12 Motivation Of The Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental study of electrical breakdown in MEMS devices with micrometer scale gaps

2008

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We present an experimental study of the DC breakdown voltage of MEMS interdigitated aluminum electrodes with gaps ranging from 10 to 500 µm. Unlike most research on MEMS electrodes that was done at atmospheric pressure, our work has focused on the effect of gas pressure and gas type on the breakdown voltage. A main goal was to identify geometries that favor the creation of low-voltage discharges. Helium, argon and nitrogen pressure was varied from 10 2 to 8.10 4 Pa (1 to 800 mbar). The breakdown voltage was plotted as a function of the Paschen reduced variable P red = p·d. For higher values of pressure, p or gap, d (high P red ), classical Paschen scaling was observed. For lower values of P red however, significant deviations were seen, particularly at low pressures. We attribute these differences not to field emission, but to the scale of the mean free path (which explains the higher than predicted voltages), and principally to the many length scales effectively present in our planar geometry (on-chip and even off-chip, that lead to the superposition of several Paschen curves). Guidelines are proposed for low-pressure operation of MEMS to avoid or to encourage breakdown.

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Section: B a 12 Motivation Of The Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental study of electrical breakdown in MEMS devices with micrometer scale gaps

2008

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“…We have developed a sealed chip-scale plasma light source that is low power (as required for portable applications), versatile and compact, with efficient operation at 10-500 mbar in different gases (Ar, He and N 2 ) [7]. For chemical or biological applications, the small size of a micromachined plasma source allows integration or co-fabrication with microfluidic devices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micromachined chip-scale plasma light source

Carazzetti

Renaud

Shea

2009

Sensors and Actuators A: Physical

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a b s t r a c tWe report on the microfabrication and testing of a chip-scale plasma light source. The device consists of a stack of three anodically bonded Pyrex wafers, which hermetically enclose a gas-filled cavity containing interdigitated Aluminum electrodes. When the electrodes are powered through an impedance matching circuit, these devices have been used to generate stable millimeter-size RF plasma discharges operating continuously for over 24 h in He or Ar at pressures ranging from 10 to 500 mbar at RF powers of 300-1500 mW.

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Electrical breakdown at low pressure for planar microelectromechanical systems with <inline-formula><math display="inline" overflow="scroll"><mrow><mn>10</mn><mtext>-</mtext><mspace width="0.3em" /><mtext>to</mtext><mspace width="0.3em" /><mn>500</mn><mtext>-</mtext><mi>μ</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi></mrow></math></inline-formula> gaps

Carazzetti

Shea

2009

J. Micro/Nanolith. MEMS MOEMS

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Abstract. An experimental study of the dc breakdown voltage for planar MEMS interdigitated aluminum electrodes with gaps ranging from 10 to 500 m is presented. Unlike most research on the breakdown in MEMS electrodes that was performed at atmospheric pressure, this work focuses on the effect of gas pressure and gas type on breakdown voltage, because this is central for chip-scale plasma generation and for reliable operation in aerospace applications. The breakdown voltage is measured in helium, argon, and nitrogen atmospheres for pressures between 10 2 to 8.10 4 Pa ͑1 to 800 mbar͒. For higher values of the pressure P, or of the gap d ͑i.e., for high values of the Paschen reduced variable P red = P · d͒, classical Paschen scaling is observed. For lower values of P red , however, significant deviations are seen: the V bd versus. Pd curve shows an extended flat region rather than a narrow dip. These differences cannot be attributed to field emission, but are due to the many length scales effectively present in a planar geometry ͑on-chip and even off-chip͒ that leads to the superposition of several Paschen curves. Guidelines are formulated for low-pressure operation of MEMS to avoid or encourage breakdown.

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Low-power hermetically sealed on-chip plasma light source micromachined in glass

Abstract: We report on the fabrication and testing of a chip-scale plasma light source. The device consists of a stack of three anodically bonded Pyrex wafers, which hermetically enclose a gas-filled cavity in which electrodes are used to ignite a low power (<500 mW) RF plasma.

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Experimental study of electrical breakdown in MEMS devices with micrometer scale gaps

Experimental study of electrical breakdown in MEMS devices with micrometer scale gaps

Micromachined chip-scale plasma light source

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