Lift-off of large-scale ultrathin nanomembranes

Abstract

Ultrathin silicon-based nanomembranes hold significant promise for advancements in applications ranging from separations to tissue engineering. Widespread application of these membranes has been hindered by their small active area, which typically ranges from square micrometers to square millimeters. These membranes are typically supported on silicon chips as small windows as a result of a time-consuming through-wafer etch process. This approach results in a relatively low active area and can be challenging to integrate into devices because of the rigid silicon support. In this paper, a lift-off approach is demonstrated wherein the membrane is supported by a polymeric scaffold and separated from the wafer to enable fabrication of membrane sheets (>75 cm2) with >80% active area. The wafer-scale lift-off process is demonstrated with 50 nm thick microporous and nanoporous silicon nitride (SiN) membranes. Release of large-scale SiN membranes is accomplished with both wet and dry lift-off techniques. The dry approach uses XeF2 gas to etch a sacrificial silicon film, while the wet etch uses buffered oxide etchant to remove a silicon dioxide sacrificial layer. Finally, it is demonstrated that lift-off membranes have excellent optical properties and can be used to support cell culture on a conventional scale.