Silicon microdischarge devices having inverted pyramidal cathodes: Fabrication and performance of arrays

Park, S. J.; Chen, J.; Liu, C.; Eden, J. G.

doi:10.1063/1.1338971

Cited by 79 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Other reported fabrication developments may also permit a decrease in power consumption in our system. These developments could include a pyramidal cavity structure [35,36], carbon nanotubes [37,38], or a dielectric layer to protect the electrodes [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen production by methanol reforming in a non-thermal atmospheric pressure microplasma reactor

Lindner

Besser

2012

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogen production by methanol reforming in a non-thermal atmospheric pressure microplasma reactor

Lindner

Besser

2012

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

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“…Many other studies have been carried out on silicon based microplasma reactors, e.g. [19,20,21]. No systematic study of the influence of geometrical and operating parameters on breakdown and operation of microcavity discharges has been done yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breakdown study of dc silicon micro-discharge devices

Schwaederlé

Kulsreshath

Overzet

et al. 2012

J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.

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Abstract. The influence of geometrical and operating parameters on the electrical characteristics of dc micro-cavity discharges provides insight into their controlling physics. We present here results of such a study on silicon based micro-cavity discharge devices carried out in helium at pressure ranging from 100 to 1000 Torr. Different micro-reactor configurations were measured. The differences include: isolated single cavities versus arrays of closely spaced cavities, various cavity geometries (un-etched as well as isotropically and anisotropically etched), various dimensions (100 or 150 µm cavity diameter and 0 to 150 µm depth). The electrode gap was kept constant in all cases at approximately 6 µm. The applied electric field reaches 5·10 7 V·m −1 which results in current and power densities up to 2 A·cm −2 and 200 kW·cm −3 respectively. The number of micro-cavities and the micro-cavity depth are shown to be the most important geometrical parameters for predicting breakdown and operation of microcavity devices. The probability of initiatory electron generation which is volume dependent and the electric field strength which is depth dependent are respectively considered to be responsible. The cavity shape (isotropic/anisotropic) and diameter had no significant influence. The number of micro-discharges that could be ignited depends on the rate of voltage rise and pressure. Larger numbers ignite at lower frequency and pressure. In addition, the voltage polarity has the largest influence on the electrical characteristics of the micro-discharge of all parameters, which is due to both the asymmetric role of electrodes as electron emitter and the non-uniformity of the electric field resulting in different ionization efficiencies. The qualitative shape of all breakdown voltage versus pressure curves can be explained in terms of the distance over which the discharge breakdown effectively occurs as long as one understand that this distance can depend on pressure.

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“…Since discharges can be formed in structures as small as 50 m, 8 wafers could be etched directly thus eliminating the need for a lithographic step. Furthermore, the ability to form microdischarges in flexible structures 9 could allow the patterning of curved surfaces such as cylinders and spheres.…”

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confidence: 99%

Maskless etching of silicon using patterned microdischarges

Sankaran

Giapis

2001

Applied Physics Letters

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Microdischarges in flexible copper-polyimide structures with hole diameters of 200 m have been used as stencil masks to pattern bare silicon in CF 4 /Ar chemistry. The discharges were operated at 20 Torr using the substrate as the cathode, achieving etch rates greater than 7 m/min. Optical emission spectroscopy provides evidence of excited fluorine atoms. The etch profiles show a peculiar shape attributed to plasma expansion into the etched void. Forming discharges in multiple hole and line shapes permits direct pattern transfer in silicon and could be an alternative to ultrasonic milling and laser drilling. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. ͓DOI: 10.1063/1.1388867͔Microdischarges have gained recent attention for several characteristics such as high-pressure operation and intense UV radiation.1-3 Optical studies in neon discharges have shown the presence of excited ionic states that lie more than 50 eV above the ground state.4 Furthermore, excimer formation in these discharges suggests a relatively large concentration of high-energy electrons.5-7 Such electrons should assist in the production of reactive radicals at high pressures, rendering microdischarges suitable for materials processing. While the use of these plasmas as light sources has been studied, to our knowledge, their potential as a reactive source has not yet been explored.A materials application of microdischarges that takes advantage of their size would be maskless pattern transfer. Since discharges can be formed in structures as small as 50 m, 8 wafers could be etched directly thus eliminating the need for a lithographic step. Furthermore, the ability to form microdischarges in flexible structures 9 could allow the patterning of curved surfaces such as cylinders and spheres. While the length scales over which these plasmas are formed may not be small enough for microelectronic applications, this patterning technique could assist in the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems where dimensions are often on the order of 10-500 m. 10This letter reports the operation of microdischarges in CF 4 /Ar gas mixtures and examines their use in patterning silicon. Two-layer structures, which act as the stencil mask, were made from copper foils ͑100 m thick, 99.995% pure͒ spin coated with polyimide films as described in the literature.9 These materials were chosen for their flexibility and degradation resistance when exposed to fluorine. Holes and slots were drilled or cut out mechanically in the twolayer structure to produce a desired pattern. Either a drilled copper foil or, in the case of etch experiments, a blanket n-type Si͑100͒ wafer was pressed against the mask. A schematic of the latter structure is shown in Fig. 1. The assembly was then placed in a reactor chamber and was pumped to 1 ϫ10 Ϫ6 Torr. Silicon wafers were cleaned prior to etching by dipping in a dilute HF solution ͑1-5 % in H 2 O͒ for 1 min and rinsing in deionized water. Microdischarges operated in direct curent mode are typically formed at 20 Torr with inflow of 75 sccm Ar and 25...

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Silicon microdischarge devices having inverted pyramidal cathodes: Fabrication and performance of arrays

Cited by 79 publications

References 4 publications

Hydrogen production by methanol reforming in a non-thermal atmospheric pressure microplasma reactor

Hydrogen production by methanol reforming in a non-thermal atmospheric pressure microplasma reactor

Breakdown study of dc silicon micro-discharge devices

Maskless etching of silicon using patterned microdischarges

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