LPCVD silicon-rich silicon nitride films for applications in micromechanics, studied with statistical experimental design*

Gardeniers, Han; Tilmans, H.A.C.; Visser, C.C.G.

doi:10.1116/1.580239

Cited by 143 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In these calculations the data for the 200μm diameter membrane is omitted. Although they can change considerably with the method of deposition and during different process steps, the values found here are comparable to values of 100 to 300GPa for the young's modulus and -50 to 170MPa for the initial stress found in literature [105,106,107]. The data for the square membranes is also fitted to equation (2.33) and the values found for c and d are shown in table 5.3.…”

Section: Different Membrane Sizesmentioning

confidence: 73%

Explosive micro-bubble actuator

Broek¹,

Elwenspoek²

2008

Sensors and Actuators A: Physical

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Section: Different Membrane Sizesmentioning

confidence: 73%

Explosive micro-bubble actuator

Broek¹,

Elwenspoek²

2008

Sensors and Actuators A: Physical

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“…The same deposition parameters are used as during the first layer to deposit a layer of 1.5 μm. Here the LPCVD SiRN is used because of its chemical inertness, high strength, stability and good thermal properties (Williams and Muller 1996;Gardeniers et al 1996;French et al 1997;Freitag and Richerson 1998;Williams et al 2003;Kaushik et al 2005). In addition, it is biocompatible (Mazzocchi and Bellosi 2008), its surface can be functionalized (Parvais et al 2003;Arafat et al 2004) and the stress in SiRN can be tuned by the deposition parameters (Gardeniers et al 1996;Habermehl 1998) which allows relatively thick layers.…”

Section: Fabrication Outline When Using Standard Silicon Wafersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using a mixture of 77.5 sccm SiH 2 Cl 2 and 20 sccm NH 2 at 850 • C, this results in a layer with a tensile stress between 50 and 100 MPa deposited at about 4 nm min −1 . Gardeniers et al (1996) A 50 nm thick layer of chromium is sputtered at the front side of the wafer. This layer will be used as a hard mask during the channel etch to protect the SiRN.…”

Section: Fabrication Outline When Using Standard Silicon Wafersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A versatile technology platform for microfluidic handling systems, part I: fabrication and functionalization

Groenesteijn

Boer

Lötters

et al. 2017

Microfluid Nanofluid

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often have to be connected using (external) fluidic interconnects. This way, the fluidic interconnects will have a relatively large volume, resulting in slow response times and requiring large sample sizes.To make the ideal integrated microfluidic handling system, one fabrication process should allow many different microfluidic devices for all kinds of applications to be integrated on the same chip. The functional channels of the devices, the interconnect channels and the required interfacing electronics should be integrated on the same substrate without restricting the design options for each device.Different applications pose different demands on the fabricated system. To avoid leakage and wear, the channel walls should be mechanically strong, chemically inert and leak tight for both liquids and gasses in a large temperature range. It should be possible to locally release the channel (completely or partially) from the substrate, e.g. for thermal isolation or freedom of movement. It is required to integrate transducer structures for actuation and measurement of the devices. This can be anything from metal tracks to piezoelectric or magnetic materials or optical waveguides. Functionalization of the inside of the channel, e.g. with a catalyst or with specific coatings for (bio)chemical reactions or adhesion should be possible. Multiple channels should be able to cross each other or run inside each other. Interface electronics should be integrated directly on the chip or package to reduce noise and other parasitic effects.To be able to transfer proof-of-concepts to commercial devices, it should not only be possible to fabricate low-volume research devices, but it should also be possible to scale up the fabrication to industrial low-cost, high-volume processing in foundries. Last, and certainly not least, it should be straightforward to design the optimal fluidic element with respect to shape and size, for any application. AbstractMany microfluidic devices are made using specialized fabrication processes, limiting the ability to integrate those devices on the same chip. In this paper, a versatile technology platform is presented that allows for integration of many different devices. It provides a method to design channels in a wide range of sizes and shapes with different functionalization options in close proximity to the fluid in the channels. The latter includes release of the channels for thermal isolation or mechanical movement and metal or piezoelectric layers for actuation and read-out. The channel walls are made using silicon-rich silicon nitride to provide durable, strong, chemically inert and thermally stable channels directly below the substrate surface .

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“…To support as many applications as possible, there should only be one wetted material in our platform and that material should be chemically inert to many types of fluid. Silicon-nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) and silicon-rich silicon nitride (SiRN, Si x N y ) are known for their high strength, chemical inertness, stability and good thermal properties (Williams and Muller 1996;Gardeniers et al 1996;French et al 1997;Freitag and Richerson 1998;Williams et al 2003;Kaushik et al 2005) and can be grown with a conformal step coverage using LPCVD. In addition, it is biocompatible (Mazzocchi and Bellosi 2008), its surface can be functionalized (Parvais et al 2003;Arafat et al 2004), and the stress in SiRN can be tuned by the deposition parameters Habermehl 1998).…”

Section: Channel Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A versatile technology platform for microfluidic handling systems, part II: channel design and technology

Groenesteijn

Boer

Lötters

et al. 2017

Microfluid Nanofluid

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integrated devices. The channels can be freely suspended, and top-side, bottom-side and in-plane fluidic interfacing is possible. Transducer structures can be integrated in close proximity to the fluid using suitable materials. In these microfluidic handling systems, many different microfluidic devices can be integrated on the same chip. As a result, these devices are connected with very small internal volumes which allows for fast response times and handling of small sample sizes. Several options are proposed to add functionality to the devices. Some examples of these are: metalization, release of the channels from the bulk or a buried oxide layer to mechanically or electrically isolate parts of the chip or provide buried fluidic channels.In this paper, we discuss several channel etching methods and look at their applicability in the platform. The full fabrication process is discussed in Groenesteijn et al. (2017). The channels are etched isotropically through etch slits in a silicon-rich silicon nitride layer on top of the wafer. As a result, the size and shape of the channels can be tuned to meet the demands of any application. Here, we propose a method, based on an empirical etch model, to design the slit pattern that will result in the desired channel shape.In Sect. 4, the channel design of an integrated microfluidic handling system with multiple fluidic sensors is discussed. Fabrication outlineThe fabrication of the devices can be roughly divided into three main steps: fabrication of the microchannels, fabrication of the functional structures and fabrication of the fluidic access to the channels. In this section, an outline of the fabrication process is given where channels are etched at Abstract Microfluidic devices often require channels of a specific size and shape. These devices are then made in a fabrication process that is often specialized to produce only those (and very similar) channels. As a result, devices requiring channels of different size and shape cannot easily be integrated on the same chip. This paper presents a method to fabricate microfluidic channels in a wide range of shape and size on the same chip by using a slit pattern through which the channels are etched. The fabrication process to fabricate these channels is discussed in detail, and an empirical model is presented to find the optimal slit pattern for a required size and shape. This part of the paper focusses on the channel design and fabrication. Details on the whole fabrication process and optional functionalization of the channels are presented in part I of this paper.

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LPCVD silicon-rich silicon nitride films for applications in micromechanics, studied with statistical experimental design*

Cited by 143 publications

References 29 publications

Explosive micro-bubble actuator

Explosive micro-bubble actuator

A versatile technology platform for microfluidic handling systems, part I: fabrication and functionalization

A versatile technology platform for microfluidic handling systems, part II: channel design and technology

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