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Half-bridge silicon strain gauges are widely used in the fabrication of diaphragm-type high-pressure sensors, but in some applications, they suffer from low output sensitivity because of mounting position constraints. Through a special design and fabrication approach, a new half-bridge silicon strain gauge comprising one arc gauge responding to tangential strain and another linear gauge measuring radial strain was developed using Silicon-on-Glass (SiOG) substrate technology. The tangential gauge consists of grid patterns, such as the reciprocating arc of silicon piezoresistors on a thin glass substrate. When two half-bridges are connected to form a full bridge with arc-shaped gauges that respond to tangential strain, they have the advantage of providing much higher output sensitivity than a conventional half-bridge. Pressure sensors tested under pressure ranging from 0 to 50 bar at five different temperatures indicate a linear output with a typical sensitivity of approximately 16 mV/V/bar, a maximum zero shift of 0.05% FS, and a span shift of 0.03% FS. The higher output level of pressure sensing gauges will provide greater signal strength, thus maintaining a better signal-to-noise ratio than conventional pressure sensors. The offset and span shift curves are quite linear across the operating temperature range, giving the end user the advantage of using very simple algorithms for temperature compensation of offset and span shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a micromachining process that allows the creation of hierarchical, matryoshka-like MEMS structures that can be used for multi-axis sensing. This novel vibration multi-axis MEMS sensor based on the capacitive open-loop operation can be widely deployed in the structural monitoring systems due to its simple fabrication and operating principle. The device is composed by a double proof-mass hierarchical design with separate sets of electrodes for in-plane differential measurements. The operation principle of this multi-axis device relies on the fact that accelerations in the zz direction will induce a change in the overlapping area of the xx and yy sensing electrodes, extracted from the single-ended capacitance measurement, while xx and yy accelerations will yield a differential capacitance change. To sense the direction of zz accelerations (capacitance decrease independently of the direction), out-of-plane parallel-plates were added to the device using suspended metallic membranes. The devices were fabricated through an in-house process using a seven-mask dicing-free MEMS process on a 10 μm-thick SOI wafer. The proposed devices were successfully validated using a two-degrees of freedom (DoF) setup that induces external accelerations in the three-orthogonal axes and reads the resulting output voltage of the device. It then possible to conclude that using the proposed fabrication process, it is possible to successfully produce functional multi-structure SOI-based devices that integrate suspended metallic membranes.

Currently, silicon-strain-gauge-based diaphragm pressure sensors use four single-gauge chips for high-output sensitivity. However, the four-single-gauge configuration increases the number of glass frit bonds and the number of aluminum wire bonds, reducing the long-term stability, reliability, and yield of the diaphragm pressure sensor. In this study, a new design of general-purpose silicon strain gauges was developed to improve the sensor output voltage while reducing the number of bonds. The new gauges consist grid patterns with a reciprocating arc of silicon piezoresistors on a thin glass backing. The gauges make handling easier in the bonding process due to the use of thin glass for the gauge backing. The pressure sensors were tested under pressure ranging from 0 to 50 bar at five different temperatures, with a linear output with a typical sensitivity of approximately 16 mV/V/bar and an offset shift of –6 mV to 2 mV. The new approach also opens the possibility to extend arc strain gauges to half-bridge and full-bridge configurations to further reduce the number of glass frit and Al wire bonds in the diaphragm pressure sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Half-bridge silicon strain gauges are widely used in the fabrication of diaphragm-type high-pressure sensors, but in some applications, they suffer from low output sensitivity because of mounting position constraints. Through a special design and fabrication approach, a new half-bridge silicon strain gauge comprising one arc gauge responding to tangential strain and another linear gauge measuring radial strain was developed using Silicon-on-Glass (SiOG) substrate technology. The tangential gauge consists of grid patterns, such as the reciprocating arc of silicon piezoresistors on a thin glass substrate. When two half-bridges are connected to form a full bridge with arc-shaped gauges that respond to tangential strain, they have the advantage of providing much higher output sensitivity than a conventional half-bridge. Pressure sensors tested under pressure ranging from 0 to 50 bar at five different temperatures indicate a linear output with a typical sensitivity of approximately 16 mV/V/bar, a maximum zero shift of 0.05% FS, and a span shift of 0.03% FS. The higher output level of pressure sensing gauges will provide greater signal strength, thus maintaining a better signal-to-noise ratio than conventional pressure sensors. The offset and span shift curves are quite linear across the operating temperature range, giving the end user the advantage of using very simple algorithms for temperature compensation of offset and span shift.

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The fabrication of piezoelectric ZnO-based micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) acoustic sensor has been reported. The sensor structure consists of a piezoelectric ZnO film deposited between two Al electrodes on a thin silicon diaphragm. A microtunnel is fabricated in the sensor structure using novel approach. This microtunnel is used to protect the diaphragm and determine the lower cut-off frequency of device. The approach presented in this paper completely removed a serious problem of microtunnel blockages during fabrication of sensors. In the developed process, the acoustic sensor fabricated using silicon-on-insulator and the Pyrex glass wafers are diced separately with same chip dimensions. Finally, both Pyrex glass and acoustic sensor chips are fitted in a jig for alignment and then anodically bonded. In reference to microtunnel blockages, the yield of the present technique is obtained as almost 100%. Also, the technique will serve as a cost-effective alternative to the present practice. The developed technique can also be used in manufacturing of similar devices where the microtunnels or microchannels are required in device structure. The technological development is supported by extensive atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies of ZnO film; glass-to-silicon bond strength measurement; resonance frequency measurement by laser doppler vibrometer; response characterization of the fabricated sensor, and scanning electron microscopy of microtunnel mouth to demonstrate the feasibility and yield of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, silicon-strain-gauge-based diaphragm pressure sensors use four single-gauge chips for high-output sensitivity. However, the four-single-gauge configuration increases the number of glass frit bonds and the number of aluminum wire bonds, reducing the long-term stability, reliability, and yield of the diaphragm pressure sensor. In this study, a new design of general-purpose silicon strain gauges was developed to improve the sensor output voltage while reducing the number of bonds. The new gauges consist grid patterns with a reciprocating arc of silicon piezoresistors on a thin glass backing. The gauges make handling easier in the bonding process due to the use of thin glass for the gauge backing. The pressure sensors were tested under pressure ranging from 0 to 50 bar at five different temperatures, with a linear output with a typical sensitivity of approximately 16 mV/V/bar and an offset shift of –6 mV to 2 mV. The new approach also opens the possibility to extend arc strain gauges to half-bridge and full-bridge configurations to further reduce the number of glass frit and Al wire bonds in the diaphragm pressure sensor.

This paper presents a pair of trapezoid microcantilever probes with a monolithic micromachined thermocouple for inspecting the electrical and thermal properties of Micro-LED. To meet testing requirements, one of the microcantilevers was designed as a single-layer Ni structure for electrical conduction, while the other one, which consists of n-type poly-Si, SiO2 and Ni layers, was used for temperature sensing. Both microcantilevers were fabricated by using Si bulk micromachining, thin film deposition, and electroplating processes. Fabrication result shows the length of each probe is about $78~\mu \text{m}$ and $118~\mu \text{m}$ , and the thicknesses of the microcantilevers and probe tip are $7.2~\mu \text{m}$ and $5.5~\mu \text{m}$. Experiment results depict that the thermocouple junction between Ni layer and poly-Si achieves a good ohmic contact, and the measured sheet resistances for poly-Si and electroplated Ni are $150~\Omega $ /sq and $0.01~\Omega $ /sq. This suggests that the induced thermoelectric voltage can be generated and detected in response to a temperature difference. Mechanical tests verified that the probes provide an available elastic deflection to guarantee that the probe tips can exactly contact the Micro-LED electrodes, with a low contact force. The thermoelectric characteristics of the device have been further confirmed and calibrated on the basis of the measurement results of a commercial mm-sized LED in cooperation with an infrared camera. For the subject of the Micro-LED chip with a square size of $75~\mu \text{m}$ , its electrical and thermal properties were successfully determined, as the measured chip temperature is 52 °C at the applied current of $100~\mu \text{A}$. [2021-0053] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Combined process of electrolytic plasma etching with anodic oxidation. • Novel bulk micromachining of SiC by tool-based electrolytic plasma etching. • Both modeling and experimental investigations of EPE are presented. • Experimental design and realization of microstructuring of SiC. • Elucidation of process mechanism of material removal under plasma atmosphere. Bulk micromachining of single-crystal SiC has been challenging due to its extreme stability both mechanically and chemically. To address this issue, a novel tool-based electrolytic plasma etching method is proposed, with which micropatterns and micro-holes are fabricated in SiC in a hydrofluoric acid-free aqueous solution with no need for masks. The material removal is the result of the combined effects of electrolytic plasma chemistry and physics. The chemistry refers to the reaction of Si with hydroxyl radical to form various SiO x and with H to form silanes, and the reactions of C to form volatile carbon oxides or hydrocarbons, all of which are accomplished and enhanced under the electrolytic plasma atmosphere. Besides, the local high temperature of plasma thermally promotes the evaporation or dissolution of SiO 2 in NaOH solution. The tool-based electrolytic plasma etching method provides alternative approaches for the fabrication of SiC-based MEMS and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel type of near-field slit probe with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution is proposed. We tested the implementation of this in passive millimeter-wave microscopy at frequencies around 50 GHz. The slit probe comprises a standard rectangular waveguide incorporating a triple-screw tuner penetrating into the waveguide, followed by a four-section quarter-wave transformer, and a metal-coated silicon chip with a micro-slit aperture fabricated at the probe tip using a bulk micromachining technique. The probe allows the transmission of the thermal radiation collected at the probe aperture to the radiometric receiver used in passive millimeter-wave microscopy to be maximized, resulting in highly sensitive measurements. The system noise temperature of the radiometric receiver including the slit probe used in the passive measurements was found to be 1800 K, meaning that a temperature resolution of 0.18 K with the integration time set to 1 s was achieved. This system noise temperature is four times better than that when a tapered slit probe with no tuning circuit was used. Image acquisition with a spatial resolution of better than 100 μm was demonstrated over the temperature range from 210 to 310 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a novel photodiode with photosensitive cavity structure, realized by simple KOH isotropic etching and ion implantation technology. The main design concept is using the photosensitive surface of the cavity to capture the light rays of the sensing area, so as to further increase sensing performance. A TracePro simulation shows that the light capture effect of a single cavity structure is enhanced as the etch depth increases due to increase in surface sensing area. However, since the etch depth is limited by the wafer thickness, this research proposes to increase the surface area of the photodiode by using an array of micro-cavity units to improve the sensing efficiency while reducing the needed etch depth. The experimental results show that under the same light-receiving conditions, the sensitivity of the photodiode with a single cavity and a multi-cavity is higher than that of the general planar design, by about 20% and 16%. In addition, at a luminance of 0 nt to $80\times 10^{3}$ nt, the linear adaptation rate ($\text{R}^{2}$) of the linear fitted curve is larger than 0.99. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a novel method for fabrication of diaphragm along with microtunnels for various applications. Micromasking, grass formation, uniformity over the process wafer, notching, growth of thick silicon oxide masking layer, protection of microtunnel during diaphragm fabrication etc. are the major challenges in deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of the existing silicon bulk micromachining process. The proposed fabrication technique solves these issues by proper selection of a stack of Al/SiO2 masking layers. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) employed at intermediate fabrication stages shows that the microtunnel formed is smooth and pin hole free. The fabricated structures can be used in variety of applications such as pressure compensation in acoustic sensors, temperature compensation in integrated chips, liquid transportation in biological and chemical applications. In order to evaluate the device performance and practical applicability, investigations have been done on the device behavior as an acoustic sensor. Further, the deep cavity sealed with Pyrex glass and a sandwich structure on the front side with Al/ZnO/Al has been developed. This fabricated structure exhibits resonance frequency of 84kHz with high sensitivity of 58 $\mu V/Pa$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gyroscopes are sensors that measure the angular rate of an rotating object along one or more coordinate axis. For measuring angular rate along all three axes, usually three different single axis gyroscopes are used. Three sensor systems imply more space and power requirements which are precious commodities in microelectronics. Single-drive tri axis gyroscopes overcome this issue. Owing to their design complications, they have not been explored to the scale of the single axis gyroscopes. In this paper we present a novel design of single drive tri-axis MEMS gyroscope with detail explanation of its working principle. Since gyroscopes are resonant sensors, the natural frequencies of drive and sense modes are expected to be as close to each other as possible to ensure maximum sensitivity. These frequencies depend on the structural dimensions of the design. A design optimization procedure using Finite Element Method (FEM) based parametric modal analysis has been suggested in order to achieve mode matching. An equivalent analytical model is also presented for drive mode and all three sense modes. The optimized design is fabricated using modified silicon on glass bulk micromachining technique. The natural frequencies in drive and sense modes of as fabricated devices were measured and compared with the numerical and analytical values, The experimental values of frequencies are well within 16% of the numerical values. A design upgrade has been suggested to further reduce this error value. • Novel design of single drive tri axis MEMS gyroscope. • Finite Element method based parametric eigenfrequency analysis to achieve mode matching. • Analytical model of novel single drive tri axis MEMS gyroscope. • Fabrication of MEMS gyroscope using silicon on glass bulk micromachining technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Anisotropic wet etching is a most widely employed for the fabrication of MEMS/NEMS structures using silicon bulk micromachining. The use of Si{110} in MEMS is inevitable when a microstructure with vertical sidewall is to be fabricated using wet anisotropic etching. In most commonly employed etchants (i.e. TMAH and KOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH) exhibits higher etch rate and provides improved anisotropy between Si{111} and Si{110} planes. In the manufacturing company, high etch rate is demanded to increase the productivity that eventually reduces the cost of end product. In order to modify the etching characteristics of KOH for the micromachining of Si{110}, we have investigated the effect of hydroxylamine (NH2OH) in 20 wt% KOH solution. The concentration of NH2OH is varied from 0 to 20% and the etching is carried out at 75 °C. The etching characteristics which are studied in this work includes the etch rates of Si{110} and silicon dioxide, etched surface morphology, and undercutting at convex corners. The etch rate of Si{110} in 20 wt% KOH + 15% NH2OH solution is measured to be four times more than that of pure 20 wt% KOH. Moreover, the addition of NH2OH increases the undercutting at convex corners and enhances the etch selectivity between Si and SiO2.

This work presents a Lamé mode resonator featuring a novel gap closing mechanism, which employs electrostatic force to reduce the capacitive transduction gaps to submicrometer values in order to overcome fabrication technology critical spacing limitations. This leads to significant resonator loss and motional resistance reduction while maintaining high $Q$ -factor even in air. Prototypes were fabricated in two commercial silicon-on-insulator processes. Upon the application of a dc voltage of 55 V between the resonator structure and the electrodes, the gaps sizes are reduced to as low as 200 nm. A resonance frequency of 18 MHz with $Q$ -factors as high as 866 000 was observed under 1 mtorr vacuum and as high as 32 000 at atmospheric pressure. A loss of 33 dB was measured at 55 V, which corresponds to an equivalent resistance of 4.4 $\text{k}{\Omega }$ , more than 60 times lower than that of a similar design without a gap closing mechanism at the same voltage. This significantly reduces the complexity of the oscillation sustaining circuitry. The frequency tuning range is also increased significantly as a result of the gap reduction, which can be useful for overcoming ambient conditions and fabrication variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon carbide (SiC) has promising potential for pressure sensing in a high temperature and harsh environment due to its outstanding material properties. In this work, a 4H-SiC piezoresistive pressure chip fabricated based on femtosecond laser technology was proposed. A 1030 nm, 200 fs Yb: KGW laser with laser average powers of 1.5, 3 and 5 W was used to drill blind micro holes for achieving circular sensor diaphragms. An accurate per lap feed of 16.2 μm was obtained under laser average power of 1.5 W. After serialized laser processing, the machining depth error of no more than 2% and the surface roughness as low as 153 nm of the blind hole were measured. The homoepitaxial piezoresistors with a doping concentration of 1019 cm−3 were connected by a closed-loop Wheatstone bridge after a rapid thermal annealing process, with a specific contact resistivity of 9.7 × 10−5 Ω cm2. Our research paved the way for the integration of femtosecond laser micromachining and SiC pressure sensor chips manufacturing.

This paper reports a compliant monolithic multistable actuator which is able to switch its moving part between several stable positions linearly in one dimensional direction. The number of stable positions can be increased by extending the range of displacement of the moving part. The transition in each step of displacement is made between two adjacent stable positions. Upward and downward steps are made by a specific sequence of moving, opening and closing two internal clamps which are actuated using three subsystems. The principle and the design of each subsystem followed by the microfabrication process and experimental characterization are reported here. The fabricated prototypes of discrete actuator have shown a proper operation. A successful displacement over 12 upward steps, corresponding to 120.67 ± 0.08 μm distance, has been achieved. The mean displacement step consists of 10.06 μm and closely matches the designed one (10 μm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication process of micro-SOFC membrane structure using the bulk micromachining of silicon technique with SiO2 and Si3N4 sacrificial layers is presented in this study. The process involves back side photolithography, magnetron sputtering of platinum thin films, thermal evaporation of YSZ electrolyte, deep reactive ion etching of silicon, and, finally, release of free-standing membrane using CF4/O2 plasma etching.X-ray analysis shows the cubic phase of YSZ electrolyte and platinum electrodes. Modelling of normal stress distribution in the micro-SOFC structure with the Si3N4 sacrificial layer shows that at high temperatures the substrate expands less than the coating, causing tensile stresses in the substrate area next to the coating and compressive stresses in the coating, as the substrate material has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the layered Pt/YSZ/Pt coating. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.2.5585

The stress state is a crucial parameter for the design of innovative microelectromechanical systems based on silicon carbide (SiC) material. Hence, mechanical properties of such structures highly depend on the fabrication process. Despite significant progresses in thin-film growth and fabrication process, monitoring the strain of the suspended SiC thin-films is still challenging. However, 3C-SiC membranes on silicon (Si) substrates have been demonstrated, but due to the low quality of the SiC/Si heteroepitaxy, high levels of residual strains were always observed. In order to achieve promising self-standing films with low residual stress, an alternative micromachining technique based on electrochemical etching of high quality homoepitaxy 4H-SiC layers was evaluated. This work is dedicated to the determination of their mechanical properties and more specifically, to the characterization of a 4H-SiC freestanding film with a circular shape. An inverse problem method was implemented, where experimental results obtained from bulge test are fitted with theoretical static load-deflection curves of the stressed membrane. To assess data validity, the dynamic behavior of the membrane was also investigated: Experimentally, by means of laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) and theoretically, by means of finite element computations. The two methods provided very similar results since one obtained a Young’s modulus of 410 GPa and a residual stress value of 41 MPa from bulge test against 400 GPa and 30 MPa for the LDV analysis. The determined Young’s modulus is in good agreement with literature values. Moreover, residual stress values demonstrate that the fabrication of low-stressed SiC films is achievable thanks to the micromachining process developed.

A gold-coated array of flow-through inverse pyramids applicable as substrate for entrapment and immobilization of micro-objects and for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic measurements was fabricated using bulk micromachining techniques from silicon. Surface morphology, optical reflectance, immobilization properties, and surface enhanced Raman amplification of the array were modelled and characterized. It was found that the special perforated periodic 3D structure can be used for parallel particle and cell trapping and highly sensitive molecular analysis of the immobilized objects.