Investigation of anodic silicon dioxide thin films for microelectromechanical systems applications
- Author(s): Akarapu Ashok 1 and Prem Pal 1
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View affiliations
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Affiliations:
1:
MEMS and Micro/Nano Systems Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India
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Affiliations:
1:
MEMS and Micro/Nano Systems Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India
- Source:
Volume 9, Issue 12,
December 2014,
p.
830 – 834
DOI: 10.1049/mnl.2014.0360 , Online ISSN 1750-0443
In this reported work, silicon dioxide (SiO2) thin films have been developed at room temperature using anodic oxidation of silicon. The effect of various process parameters on oxide properties including thickness, surface morphology, roughness and so on are investigated to determine the optimal conditions for the growth of SiO2 for applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). A spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to characterise the refractive index and thickness of the as-deposited films. Atomic force microscopy was employed to measure the surface roughness of the oxide films. To fabricate the overhanging micromechanical structures, the etch rate of the as-grown oxide film was studied in 25 wt% tetramethylammonium hydroxide and 10 wt% potassium hydroxide solutions at different temperatures. Finally, the as-grown oxide film is demonstrated for the fabrication of differently shaped MEMS components using an etchant showing minimum oxide etch rate.
Inspec keywords: etching; silicon compounds; thin films; Fourier transform spectra; anodisation; surface morphology; refractive index; microfabrication; micromechanical devices; atomic force microscopy; thin film devices; surface roughness; infrared spectra
Other keywords: microelectromechanical system application; anodic silicon dioxide thin films; oxide properties; etch rate; Si; spectroscopic ellipsometry; surface roughness; temperature 293 K to 298 K; surface morphology; potassium hydroxide solutions; refractive index; tetramethylammonium hydroxide; SiO2; film thickness; atomic force microscopy; MEMS components; anodic oxidation; etchant; micromechanical structures
Subjects: Micromechanical and nanomechanical devices and systems; Fabrication of MEMS and NEMS devices; Infrared and Raman spectra in inorganic crystals; Corrosion, oxidation, etching, and other surface treatments; Optical constants and parameters (condensed matter); Solid surface structure; Thin film growth, structure, and epitaxy; Optical properties of other inorganic semiconductors and insulators (thin films, low-dimensional and nanoscale structures)
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