Ultra-thin alumina and silicon nitride MEMS fabricated membranes for the electron multiplication

Prodanović, V.; Chan, Hong; Graaf, H. van der; Sarro, P.M.

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/aaac66

Cited by 15 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Our group approached the problem from a micro-fabrication/engineering point of view by implementing MEMS technology. Silicon nitride tynodes were fabricated by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and aluminum oxide tynodes by means of atomic layer deposition (ALD) [20,21]. Monte-Carlo simulation has shown that the optimum thickness for aluminum oxide tynodes is about 10 nm [3].…”

Section: Novel Vacuum Electron Multipliersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Monte-Carlo simulation has shown that the optimum thickness for aluminum oxide tynodes is about 10 nm [3]. Therefore, the ultra-thin membranes, with a diameter of 10 to 30 µm, were suspended within a supporting mesh with an array of 64-by-64 small windows [21]. A TEY of 1.57 (2.85 keV) was measured for TiN/SiN films and a TEY of 2.6 (1.45 keV) for TiN/Al 2 O 3 films.…”

Section: Novel Vacuum Electron Multipliersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A different approach is to determine the SEY by measuring the surface charge using the Kelvin probe method [25]. However, charge-up effects were not observed on films/membranes on which TiN was sputtered [21].…”

Section: Novel Vacuum Electron Multipliersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fabrication process of the ultra-thin composite membranes is similar to the fabrication process of tynodes presented in ref. [21], but the process is simplified by omitting the support mesh. Instead, a single square membrane with a width of 400 µm is released from the substrate.…”

Section: Preparation Of Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Secondary Electron Emission from Multi-layered TiN/Al$_2$O$_3$ Transmission Dynodes

Chan,

Prodanović,

Theulings

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The transmission secondary electron yields of multilayered Al 2 O 3 /TiN membranes/films have been determined for sub-10-keV primary electrons. These membranes will be used as transmission dynodes in novel vacuum electron multipliers. A bi-and tri-layer variant has been manufactured by means of atomic-layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum oxide and sputtering of titanium nitride. Their transmission electron yield has been measured by a collector-based method operated within a scanning electron microscope. The total transmission and reflection yields have been determined for both types of membranes. The results show that the tri-layer membrane, where the conductive TiN layer is sandwiched, performs better in terms of transmission electron emission. A maximum transmission yield of 3.1 is obtained for a 5/2.5/5 nm thick Al 2 O 3 /TiN/Al 2 O 3 film with 1.55 keVelectrons. In addition, the transmission characteristics of the bi-layer membranes have been further investigated by separating the transmitted fraction and the transmission secondary electron yield. The latter is then normalized by its maximum yield and energy to obtain a 'universal' transmission yield curve. For thin films with a thickness below 20 µg/cm 2 , the transmission characteristics deviates from thicker films, which can explain the higher transmission secondary electron yield observed.

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Section: Novel Vacuum Electron Multipliersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Novel Vacuum Electron Multipliersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Novel Vacuum Electron Multipliersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Preparation Of Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Secondary Electron Emission from Multi-layered TiN/Al$_2$O$_3$ Transmission Dynodes

Chan,

Prodanović,

Theulings

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They are also increasingly employed in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as functional structures in the form of beams, bridges, and membranes [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The mechanical properties of the thin films are very important to the design and reliability of the devices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material Structure and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Oxynitride Thin Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

2018

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Silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride thin films are widely used in microelectronic fabrication and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Their mechanical properties are important for MEMS structures; however, these properties are rarely reported, particularly the fracture toughness of these films. In this study, silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride thin films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) under different silane flow rates. The silicon nitride films consisted of mixed amorphous and crystalline Si 3 N 4 phases under the range of silane flow rates investigated in the current study, while the crystallinity increased with silane flow rate in the silicon oxynitride films. The Young's modulus and hardness of silicon nitride films decreased with increasing silane flow rate. However, for silicon oxynitride films, Young's modulus decreased slightly with increasing silane flow rate, and the hardness increased considerably due to the formation of a crystalline silicon nitride phase at the high flow rate. Overall, the hardness, Young modulus, and fracture toughness of the silicon nitride films were greater than the ones of silicon oxynitride films, and the main reason lies with the phase composition: the SiN x films were composed of a crystalline Si 3 N 4 phase, while the SiO x N y films were dominated by amorphous Si-O phases. Based on the overall mechanical properties, PECVD silicon nitride films are preferred for structural applications in MEMS devices.

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Adapting the Electron Beam from SEM as a Quantitative Heating Source for Nanoscale Thermal Metrology

Yuan

Ogletree

et al. 2020

Nano Lett.

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The electron beam (e-beam) in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provides an appealing mobile heating source for thermal metrology with spatial resolution of ∼1 nm but the lack of systematic quantification of the e-beam heating power limits such application development. Here, we systemically study ebeam heating in LPCVD silicon nitride (SiN x) thin-films with thickness ranging from 200 to 500 nm from both experiments and complementary Monte Carlo simulations using the CASINO software. There is good agreement about the thickness-dependent e-beam energy absorption of thin-film between modeling predictions and experiments. Using the absorption results we then demonstrate adapting e-beam as a quantitative heat source by measuring the thickness-dependent thermal conductivity of SiN x thin-films, with the results validated to within 7% by a separate Joule heating experiment. The results described here will open a new avenue to using SEM e-beams as a mobile heating source for advanced nanoscale thermal metrology development. The interaction between the high-kinetic energy electrons from an electron beam (e-beam) and a sample produces a wealth of signals which provide a variety of insights for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), such as analyzing composition, imaging surface morphology, and investigating the crystalline structures. During the electron−substrate interaction, heat is also generated and this makes it possible to apply the e-beam as a high-quality mobile heat source for generating nanoscale thermal hotspots but also for thermal studies in SEM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). 1−6 E-beams have several unique characteristics which are appealing for nanoscale thermal metrology. First, an e-beam's potential spatial resolution of ∼1 nm is appealing compared to that of alternate techniques for nanoscale thermal measurements, such as the 3ω method, time/frequency-domain thermoreflectance, and Raman/luminescence-based methods, which are generally limited by the microfabrication length scale or optical diffraction limit. 7−9 Similarly, focusing a high-energy e-beam into such a small area results in nanoscale heat sources with extraordinarily high heat fluxes, easily exceeding ∼1 MW cm −2. This is valuable for the study of heat dissipation from nanoscale hotspots, which is important for both fundamental understanding and engineering design in micro-and nanoelectronics, because nanometer-scale hotspots of up to hundreds of degrees Celsius are believed to influence device performance and reliability. 10 Furthermore, compared to Joule heating by microfabricated heater lines or scanning with a 48 heated atomic force microscope tip, 11,12 the e-beam's 49 dynamically controllable shape and position makes it a more 50 nimble heat source for precise manufacturing and thermal 51 studies.

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Ultra-thin alumina and silicon nitride MEMS fabricated membranes for the electron multiplication

Cited by 15 publications

References 30 publications

Secondary Electron Emission from Multi-layered TiN/Al$_2$O$_3$ Transmission Dynodes

Secondary Electron Emission from Multi-layered TiN/Al$_2$O$_3$ Transmission Dynodes

Material Structure and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Oxynitride Thin Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Adapting the Electron Beam from SEM as a Quantitative Heating Source for Nanoscale Thermal Metrology

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