Aluminium Nitride (AlN) films deposited by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering, of a pure aluminium target in an argon (Ar) / nitrogen (N2) mixture atmosphere, onto Si (100) and Si (111) substrates are studied. A series of samples was obtained varying the Ar and N2 gaseous mixture maintaining the process pressure fixed. The AlN films were characterized by FTIR, X‐ray diffraction, visible optical absorption, ellipsometry and stress measurements. X‐ray results showed a preferential orientation in the planes (100) and (002). Films obtained in an Ar rich atmosphere presented only one vibration mode corresponding to a composition of the AlN A1 (TO) and E1 (LO) modes. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In this work, we report on the deposition of stoichiometric a‐SiC:H with high Young's modulus and hardness for MEMS applications. A series of samples was deposited using different r.f. power densities in a PECVD system in order to explore the limits of the silane starving plasma condition and investigate the change of the deposition rate. Further, the density of the material was measured by a floatation method for the different deposition conditions. The residual stress was measured in the as‐deposited films and reduced by post‐deposition annealing. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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International audienceA new through-substrate via (TSV) for millimeter-wave frequencies is proposed. The via is formed by copper nanowires connecting the bottom and top surfaces of a porous alumina membrane. It is shown here that the nanowire via is simple to fabricate using a low-cost technology. The nanowire vias were tested as coplanar waveguide transitions and characterized up to 110 GHz. The results show insertion loss better than 0.37 dB and return loss better than 14 dB per transition at 110 GHz. An electrical model for the vias was derived to give a design tool for circuit designers. These TSVs, along with the high-performance transmission lines already developed on the porous alumina membranes, contribute to a powerful platform for the design of high-performance circuits on this innovative interposer

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