Dry release of suspended nanostructures

A dry release method for fabrication of suspended nanostructures is presented. The technique has been combined with an anti-stiction treatment for fabrication of nanocantilever based nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). The process combines a dry release method, using a supporting layer of photoresist which is removed using oxygen ashing in a reactive ion etcher (RIE), with CHF3 plasma induced deposition of an fluorocarbon (FC) film acting as an anti-stiction coating. All in a single RIE sequence. The dry release process is contamination free and batch process compatible. Furthermore, the technique enables long time storage and transportation of produced devices without the risk of stiction. By combining the dry release method with a plasma deposited anti-stiction coating both fabrication induced stiction, which is mainly caused by capillary forces originating from the dehydration of meniscuses formed between suspended structures and the substrate during processing, as well as in-use stiction, occurring during mechanical operation of the system, are avoided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]