Investigation of Deep Dry Etching of 4H SIC Material for MEMS Applications Using DOE Modelling

Erbacher, Kolja; Mackowiak, Piotr; Schiffer, Michael; Lang, Klaus‐Dieter; Schuster, Martin; Ngo, Ha-Duong

doi:10.1109/mems51782.2021.9375268

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Various SiC-based MEMS devices, including thin-film thermistors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and resonators, have been produced and used in harsh operating environments [2][3][4][5]. Due to its high hardness and corrosion resistance, it cannot be micromachined by conventional semiconductor processing techniques [6,7]. Despite the use of non-traditional processing methods such as mechanical drilling and ultrasonic vibration on it, there are still issues such as low integration efficiency and poor processing quality [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of femtosecond laser processing parameters of SiC using ANN-NSGA-II

Li,

Ren,

Wang

2024

Modelling Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng.

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In the field of femtosecond laser machining, it is essential to select the appropriate process parameters to obtain near thermal damage-free and high eﬃcient machining of SiC wafer. In this work, a method of process parameter optimization for femtosecond laser machining of 4H-SiC was proposed by using the predictive ability of the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and the optimization algorithm of the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). Firstly, the femtosecond laser was used to fabricate microgrooves on SiC wafers, and the effects of process parameters (laser average power, scanning speed and repetition rate) on groove depth, width, heat affected zone (HAZ) and material removal rate (MRR) were investigated. Secondly, The ANN model is established based on experimental data. Other experiments verify the accuracy of the model, and the average error in the model's predictions is around 5%. Thirdly, Pareto optimal solutions are obtained by global optimization of the ANN model using the NSGA-II. The experimental results show that the Pareto optimal solutions are effective and reliable. This proposed method offers dependable guidance for the selecting and optimizing process parameters of high hardness and brittle materials in the field of femtosecond laser processing, and reduces the cost of selecting the appropriate processing parameters in the production process. The method can also be extended to other machining means, such as turning and milling.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of femtosecond laser processing parameters of SiC using ANN-NSGA-II

Li,

Ren,

Wang

2024

Modelling Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng.

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“…Reactive ion etching (RIE) is the most promising technique for SiC bulk micromachining. However, most reported SiC dry etching processes still demonstrate insufficient etching rates (typically 1 µm/min or less), poor selectivity to mask materials, rough etch surfaces, non-vertical profiles, and microtrenching effects [10][11][12][13] . As summarized by Dowling et al, the aspect ratio of SiC structures fabricated by plasma etching reported in the literature is usually less than 10, and these structures typically exhibit a "V" shape due to the non-vertical nature of the sidewall 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A high aspect ratio surface micromachined accelerometer based on a SiC-CNT composite material

Mo,

Shankar,

Pezone

et al. 2024

Microsyst Nanoeng

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Silicon carbide (SiC) is recognized as an excellent material for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), especially those operating in challenging environments, such as high temperature, high radiation, and corrosive environments. However, SiC bulk micromachining is still a challenge, which hinders the development of complex SiC MEMS. To address this problem, we present the use of a carbon nanotube (CNT) array coated with amorphous SiC (a-SiC) as an alternative composite material to enable high aspect ratio (HAR) surface micromachining. By using a prepatterned catalyst layer, a HAR CNT array can be grown as a structural template and then densified by uniformly filling the CNT bundle with LPCVD a-SiC. The electrical properties of the resulting SiC-CNT composite were characterized, and the results indicated that the electrical resistivity was dominated by the CNTs. To demonstrate the use of this composite in MEMS applications, a capacitive accelerometer was designed, fabricated, and measured. The fabrication results showed that the composite is fully compatible with the manufacturing of surface micromachining devices. The Young’s modulus of the composite was extracted from the measured spring constant, and the results show a great improvement in the mechanical properties of the CNTs after coating with a-SiC. The accelerometer was electrically characterized, and its functionality was confirmed using a mechanical shaker.

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“…Typically, the SiC etching rate by dry etching is below 1 μm/min. In 2021, Erbacher et al reported the highest etching rate (4 μm/min) so far by reactive ion etching (RIE) with SF6/O2/He gas mixture [13]. However, this etching rate is still relatively low compared to Si bulk etching method, and it requires a particular inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etcher with high power density.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon Carbide Reinforced Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Composite for Harsh Environment Mems

Shankar

Zhang

et al. 2023

2023 IEEE 36th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)

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Fabricating high-aspect-ratio (HAR) structures with silicon carbide (SiC) is a challenging task. This paper presents a silicon carbide (SiC) reinforced vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT) composite as a promising candidate to fabricate HAR MEMS devices for harsh environment applications. The use of a VACNT array allows the fast realization of HAR structures as a template for MEMS fabrication. The template can later be easily filled by amorphous-SiC due to the porous nature of the VACNT forest. The SiC-CNT nanocomposite has electrical properties dominated by VACNT arrays and mechanical stability dominated by the a-SiC. Based on this concept, a thermal actuator is fabricated and proven to function up to 450°C for the first time.

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Investigation of Deep Dry Etching of 4H SIC Material for MEMS Applications Using DOE Modelling

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

Optimization of femtosecond laser processing parameters of SiC using ANN-NSGA-II

Optimization of femtosecond laser processing parameters of SiC using ANN-NSGA-II

A high aspect ratio surface micromachined accelerometer based on a SiC-CNT composite material

Silicon Carbide Reinforced Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Composite for Harsh Environment Mems

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