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In this paper, we demonstrate biocompatible micromachined buckled membranes for the operation in liquids. The membranes feature diameters between 600 and 800 $\mu \text{m}$ as well as integrated piezoelectric thin film actuators, thus enabling switching between the bistable states. The membrane material is known to be not biocompatible, hence a hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) layer is deposited on the surface. For demonstration purposes, a 70 nm ±3 nm thin a-SiC:H coating with a specific silicon to carbon ratio was chosen, with a negligible impact on the overall switching performance of the bistable membranes. Furthermore, a relation between the membrane center velocity at the first characteristic resonance frequency and the switching ability of a membrane in different viscous fluids is shown. Based on a small signal analysis the switching behavior can be predicted. The membranes were successfully switched in liquids with a dynamic viscosity up to 286 mPa $\cdot \text{s}$. The biocompatibility of the membranes was examined by growing Caco-2 cells, a human carcinoma cell line, on a-SiC:H thin films, featuring different carbon contents and organic surface treatments. The proliferation and adhesion of the cells on the substrates are examined in an empirical cell growth and removal study. Only a-SiC:H surfaces pre-treated with an O2-plasma and coated with Collagen Type I indicated to provide an environment of improved cell adhesiveness compared to other surface treatments. The biological investigations resulted in good cell proliferation, that also depends on the altered hydrophilicity of the surface, as well as on the carbon content of the a-SiC:H thin films. This study reveals that a broad range of biocompatible a-SiC:H surfaces can be prepared, whereby the cell growth can be tailored in terms of proliferation and adhesion for different biomedical application scenarios. Finally, this paper reports on the mechanical features of bistable, buckled membranes and their suitability as a growth substrate for human cell cultures, due to the good biocompatibility of a-SiC:H thin films. We therefore suggest that it will be feasible to grow cells on bistable MEMS membranes, enabling cell experiments in liquid medical environments, with both mechanically excitable and biocompatible surfaces. [2022-0006] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a new type of piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) based on a bi-stable MEMS membrane structure with integrated aluminum nitride (AlN) actuators. By switching the membrane between both stable ground states, large, design-dependent membrane center displacements in the range of $10~\mu \text{m}$ can be achieved, which result in sound pressure levels of up to 96.8 dB in the ultrasonic range at frequencies between 30 and 60 kHz at a distance of 10.5 mm. This bi-stable operation mode can be triggered by moderate voltage levels of up to 40 V, which is not uncommon for PMUT devices. The usage of AlN compared to the more commonly utilized lead zirconate titanates (PZT) significantly simplifies the device integration process and ensures CMOS compatibility. A comprehensive comparison with similar devices in literature shows that despite the lower piezoelectric coefficients of AlN compared to PZT, this bi-stable actuation approach features exceptionally high stroke levels with a correspondingly high overall sound pressure level. [2020-0104] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]