International audienc

In this paper we present the fabrication technology used to make micro-discharge ‘reactors’ on a silicon (Si) substrate. For the fabrication of these reactors we have used Si wafers with 4 inch diameter and standard cleanroom facilities. The fabrication technology used is compatible with standard CMOS device fabrication and the fabricated micro-discharge reactors can be used to produce dc discharges. These micro-discharges operate at near atmospheric pressure. They were given ring-shaped anodes separated from the cathode by a SiO2 dielectric with a thickness of approximately 5–6 µm rather than the much more common ∼100 µm. The micro-discharge reactors can consist of either a single hole or multiple holes and we have built devices with holes from 25 to 150 µm in diameter. The micro-discharge measurements were obtained for helium and argon dc plasmas between 100 and 1000 Torr. We used a single ballast resistor to produce micro-discharges in multi-hole array. This resistor also acted to limit the discharge power. An average current density of 0.8 A cm−2 was calculated for the 1024 holes array with 100 µm diameter holes. In addition, we will report on stability of micro-discharges depending on the cavity configuration of the micro-reactors and the ignition trends for the micro-discharge arrays. Finally, we discuss the life time of micro-discharge arrays as well as the factors affecting them (cathode sputtering, thermally affected zones, etc).

The STiGer process is a time-multiplexed cryogenic etching method designed to achieve high aspect ratio structures on silicon. SF6 or SF6/O2 plasmas are used as etch cycles and SiF4/O2 plasmas are used as passivation cycles. Trenches with a critical dimension of 0.8 µm have been etched to a depth of 38 µm with an average etch rate of 1.8 µm min−1. These features exhibit both undercut and a defect which is called extended scalloping. We describe this defect specific to the STiGer process and we discuss its origin: the extended scalloping is composed of anisotropic cavities developed on the sidewalls of the feature top (typically in the first 2–3 µm below the mask). It originates from ions scattered at the feature entrance that hit the top profile and remove the passivation layer where it is weakest. Then, we propose two methods to reduce this extended scalloping. The first consists in adding a low oxygen flow in the etching cycle. It favors a low additional passivation which reduces scalloping. The second technique consists in gradually increasing the SF6 flow from a low value to the nominal value. Consequently, the process starts with a low etch rate and an efficient passivation.