Deep reactive ion etching: a promising technology for micro- and nanosatellites

Abstract

We discuss deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) as a promising technology that can be readily applied in the micromanufacturing of low-thrust propulsion systems to be used on future generations of micro-and nanosatellites. This dry processing technique permits the fabrication of high-aspect-ratio silicon structures and intricate morphologies, both with tight tolerances, in a repetitive and controllable fashion that lightweight space vehicles will exploit with the introduction of smaller thrust components for precise maneuvering and attitude control. The etching approach described herein is counted among the present state of the art techniques utilized in the current trend toward miniaturization of sensors and actuators. This trend is being propelled by the increased technological capability as the enabling factor for size reduction. Scaling laws, especially the cube-square law, can be successfully applied for obtaining macropower from microdevices manufactured with the silicon technology that has developed for microelectronics applications, including DRIE. The application of this plasma etching technique in the fabrication and testing of silicon supersonic micronozzles is also described.

3D silicon sensors: Design, large area production and quality assurance for the ATLAS IBL pixel detector upgrade

“…Peculiar of MEMS are the Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) steps applied to etch deep and very narrow apertures within the silicon wafer using the so called Bosch process [25] followed by thermal diffusion steps to form the n þ and p þ electrodes. Fig.…”

MEMS-based semi-packed gas chromatography columns

“…First, a 6-m thick layer of AZ9260 photoresist was spun on the wafer at 3 krpm for 30 s. The photoresist was patterned (Fig. 2a) and the wafer was etched to a depth of 180 m using DRIE which is based on the standard Bosch process [22][23][24]. This process involves the plasma of two gases that are introduced to the chamber containing the wafer in an alternating manner.…”

Schlieren imaging of microthruster exhausts for qualitative and quantitative analysis

“…DRIE results in smooth side walls, making it particularly suitable for micronozzles [7], Figure 1. In these thrusters, heaters are embedded in the stagnation chamber to improve the specific impulse (efficiency).…”