Novel CMOS-Compatible Mo–AlN–Mo Platform for Metamaterial-Based Mid-IR Absorber

Abstract

We demonstrate a new CMOS compatible metal–dielectric–metal (Mo–AlN–Mo) platform of metamaterial absorber for refractory and narrowband applications at mid-IR. Comparison with the recently reported CMOS compatible plasmonic TiN shows superior reflectivity of Mo thin film at mid-IR wavelengths (3–8 μm), while AlN provides large thermal stability and thermal conductivity, mid- to far-IR transparency and both second and third order nonlinear effect and satisfies the matching condition of thermal expansion coefficient with Mo toward minimizing the thermal stress. We demonstrate the proof-of-concept of reducing the thermal stress up to 400° by considering a high stress, CMOS platform of SiO2. We further report temporal measurement of the resonance intensity and wavelength-shift of the absorber structures and confirm the robust performance of the platform over prolonged heating. Finally, we propose a method to perform surface enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy of biological samples demanding bioc...