<title>Transferable silicon nitride microcavities</title>

Abstract

In the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), the ability to construct self supporting or suspended structures is essential for many devices. Well-established technologies exist for the fabrication of such structures, many of which rely on the deposition of SiN<SUB>x</SUB> layers. Such layers are usually grown by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition which requires high process temperatures. Lower process temperatures can be achieved through plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, however even these lower temperatures place a major restriction on the order in which processing can occur. For some semiconductor materials such as HgCdTe, this prohibits the straightforward use of such structures. A novel self-supporting SiN<SUB>x</SUB> membrane technology that can be applied to temperature sensitive semiconductor devices has been developed. In this technology the microcavity structure is constructed on a reusable GaAs substrate, from which it can be removed and bonded via van der Waals forces to a new substrate or device.