We report the realization of coalescent freestanding ultra-thin (as thin as 5.5 nm) platinum layers deposited via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition and their characterization as an uncooled infrared detector. Such thin platinum thermistors enable a responsivity as high as 2 · 10 7 V/WA, an estimated noise equivalent temperature difference of 163 mK and thermal time constants on the order of 1 ms.

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We report on the modeling, fabrication and characterization of a new serpentine geometry for platinum bolometers realized with plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The measured responsivity of 7.5 · 10 7 V W −1 A −1 of the proposed structure is almost four times higher than that of previously published PEALD deposited platinum bolometers with a traditional square absorber design [1]. This improvement was achieved without increasing the sensor's footprint or fabrication complexity.

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The accurate measurement of mechanical properties of thin films is required for the design of reliable nano/micro-electromechanical devices but is increasingly challenging for thicknesses approaching a few nanometers. We apply a combination of resonant and static mechanical test structures to measure elastic constants and residual stresses of 8-27 nm thick Al 2 O 3 and Pt layers which have been fabricated through atomic layer deposition. Young's modulus of polycrystalline Pt films was found to be reduced by less than 15% compared to the bulk value, whereas for amorphous Al 2 O 3 it was reduced to about half of its bulk value. We observed no discernible dependence of the elastic constant on thickness or deposition method for Pt, but the use of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition was found to increase Young's modulus of Al 2 O 3 by 10% compared to a thermal atomic layer deposition. As deposited, the Al 2 O 3 layers had an average tensile residual stress of 131 MPa. The stress was found to be higher for thinner layers and layers deposited without the help of a remote plasma. No residual stress values could be extracted for Pt due to insufficient adhesion of the film without an underlying layer to promote nucleation.