Double-sided Deep Reactive Ion Etching Research Articles

An alN-based piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer with a double-beam suspended structure

ABSTRACT This paper presents an AlN-based piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) with a double-beam suspended structure. In order to obtain greater deflection displacement and output sound pressure compared to standard systems, a suspended structure is proposed, achieved by utilizing double-sided deep reactive ion etching of the silicon substrate. This structure is capable of greatly reducing the tensile stress caused by deflection on the membrane edge, thereby improving the piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer performance. Simulations are performed using the finite element method and COMSOL software, with results demonstrating that the suspension structure exhibits a lower resonant frequency and a larger membrane deflection displacement than other methods, implying higher penetration and acoustic energy levels. Thus, the sound pressure is improved by changing the PMUT structure. Moreover, a PMUT with a double-beam is fabricated, and the impedance diagram is determined with an impedance analyzer. The resonant frequency of the transducer was 31.88 kHz, while the sound wave received by the standard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ultrasonic transducer was converted to a voltage of 277.5 mV. In comparison, the proposed PMUT demonstrates an improved acoustic emission performance. In addition, the electromechanical coupling coefficient of the suspended PMUT is observed to be approximately 3.08%, which is significantly better than that of a fully clamped PMUT. This demonstrates the strong electromechanical conversion performance of the proposed PMUT. Results from the transmission and reception air experiments prove that the proposed double-beam PMUT can potentially be used for ranging and wireless energy transmission applications.

Design and Implementation of RF Front-End Module Based on 3D Heterogenous-Integrated Wafer-Level Packaging

In this paper, a three-dimensional heterogenous-integrated (3DHI) wafer-level packaging (WLP) process is proposed, and a radio frequency (RF) front-end module with two independent ultra-high frequency (UHF) receiving channels are designed and implemented, which covers 400 MHz–600 MHz and 2050 MHz–2200 MHz respectively for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. The module is formed by wafer-to-wafer (W2W) bonding of two high-resistivity silicon (HR-Si) interposers with embedded bare dies and through silicon via (TSV) interconnections. Double-sided deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and conformal electroplating process are introduced to realize the high-aspect-ratio TSV connection within 290 µm-thick cap interposer. Co-plane waveguide (CPW) transmission lines are fabricated as the process control monitor (PCM), the measured insertion loss of which is less than 0.18 dB/mm at 35 GHz. The designed RF front-end module is fabricated and measured. The measured return loss and gain of each RF channel is better than 13 dB and 21 dB, and the noise figure is less than 1.5 dB. In order to evaluate the capability of the 3DHI process for multi-layer interposers, the module is re-designed and fabricated with four stacked high-resistivity silicon interposers. After W2W bonding of two pairs of interposers and wafer slicing, chip-to chip (C2C) bonding is applied to form a four-layer module with operable temperature gradient.

An optical MEMS accelerometer fabricated using double-sided deep reactive ion etching on silicon-on-insulator wafer

Optical MEMS devices provide fast detection, electromagnetic resilience and high sensitivity. Using this technology, an optical gratings based accelerometer design concept was developed for seismic motion detection purposes that provides miniaturization, high manufacturability, low costs and high sensitivity. Detailed in-house fabrication procedures of a double-sided deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer for a micro opto electro mechanical system (MOEMS) device are presented and discussed. Experimental results obtained show that the conceptual device successfully captured motion similar to a commercial accelerometer with an average sensitivity of 13.6 mV G−1, and a highest recorded sensitivity of 44.1 mV G−1. A noise level of 13.5 mV was detected due to experimental setup limitations. This is the first MOEMS accelerometer developed using double-sided DRIE on SOI wafer for the application of seismic motion detection, and is a breakthrough technology platform to open up options for lower cost MOEMS devices.

Design optimization for an SOI MOEMS accelerometer

With optimization being vital, the design optimization of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems accelerometer is discussed in this paper. This process has enabled a simplistic design that employs double-sided deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) on SOI wafer to be able to attain high sensitivity of 294 µW/G with a calculated proof mass displacement of 0.066 µm/G which was close to ANSYS simulated results of 0.061 µm/G. Optimization has also enabled an in-depth study of the effects of the different variables on the overall performance of the device.

A novel two-degree-of-freedom MEMS electromagnetic vibration energy harvester

In this paper, a vibration-based MEMS electromagnetic energy harvester (EM-EH) device with two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) configuration has been presented, modeled and characterized. The proposed 2DOF system comprises a primary subsystem for power generation, and an accessory subsystem for frequency tuning. A lumped parametric 2DOF model is built and examined in respect of energy harvesting capabilities. By controlling the mass ratio and frequency ratio, the first two resonances of primary mass can be tuned close to each other while maintaining comparable magnitudes. The 2DOF configuration is expected to be more adaptive and efficient than the conventional 1DOF structure, which could only operate near its sole resonance. The 2DOF EM-EH chip is fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer through double-sided deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE). Induction coil is only patterned on the primary mass for energy conversion. With current prototype at an acceleration of 0.12 g, two resonances of 326 and 391 Hz with output voltages of 3.6 and 6.5 mV are obtained respectively, providing good validation for the modeling results. This paper offers new insights of implementing a multimodal MEMS EM-EH device.

Measuring brain activity with magnetoresistive sensors integrated in micromachined probe needles

An alternative neuroscience tool for magnetic field detection is described in this work, providing both micrometer-scale spatial resolution and high sensitivity to detect the extremely small magnetic fields (nT range) induced by the ionic currents flowing within electrically active neurons. The system combines an array of magnetoresistive sensors incorporated on micro-machined Si probes capable of being inserted within the brain current sources. The Si-etch based micromachining process for neural probes is demonstrated in the manufacture of a probe with 15 magnetoresistive sensors in the tip of each shaft. The probe shafts are formed by double-sided deep reactive ion etching on a double-side polished silicon wafer. The shafts typically have the dimensions 1.2 mm × 40 μm × 300 μm and end in chisel-shaped tips with an incorporated magnetoresistive sensor with dimensions of 30 μm × 2 μm. An accompanying interconnect flexible cable is glued and wirebonded enabling precise and flexible positioning of the probes in the neural tissue. Our analyses showed sharply defined probes and probe tips. The electrical and magnetic behavior of the sensors was verified, and a preliminary test with brain slices were performed.

Fabrication and characterization of implantable silicon neural probe with microfluidic channels

In this paper, a silicon-based neural probe with microfluidic channels was developed and evaluated. The probe can deliver chemicals or drugs to the target neurons while simultaneously recording the electrical action of these neurons extracellularly. The probe was fabricated by double-sided deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) from a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The fluidic channels were formed with V-shape groove etching on the silicon probe and sealed with silicon nitride and parylene-C. The shank of the probe is 4 mm long and 120 μm wide. The thickness of the probe is 100 μm. The probe has two fluidic channels and two recording sites. The microfluidic channels can withstand a pressure drop as much as 30 kPa and the flow resistivity of the microfluidic channel is 0.13 μL min-1 kPa-1. The typical impedance of the neural electrode is 32.3 kΩ at 1 kHz at room temperature.

Fabrication and testing of freestanding Si nanogratings for UV filtration on space-basedparticle sensors

We demonstrate complete fabrication process integration and device performance of sturdy,self-supported transmission gratings in silicon. Gratings are patterned with nanoimprintlithography and aluminum liftoff on silicon-on-insulator wafers. Double-sided deep reactiveion etching (DRIE) creates freestanding 120 nm half-pitch gratings with 2000 nm depth andbuilt-in 1 mm pitch bulk silicon support structures. Optical characterization demonstrates10−4 transmission of UV in the 190–250 nm band while a 25–30% geometric transparency allowsparticles to pass unimpeded for space plasma measurements.

Fabrication technology for silicon-based microprobe arrays used in acute and sub-chronic neural recording

This work presents a new fabrication technology for silicon-based neural probe devices and their assembly into two-dimensional (2D) as well as three-dimensional (3D) microprobe arrays for neural recording. The fabrication is based on robust double-sided deep reactive ion etching of standard silicon wafers and allows full 3D control of the probe geometry. Wafer level electroplating of gold pads was performed to improve the 3D assembly into a platform. Lithography-based probe-tracking features for quality management were introduced. Probes for two different assembly methods, namely direct bonding to a flexible micro-cable and platform-based out-of-plane interconnection, were produced. Systems for acute and sub-chronic recordings were assembled and characterized. Recordings from rats demonstrated the recording capability of these devices.

A 32-site neural recording probe fabricated by DRIE of SOI substrates

An all-dry silicon-etch based micromachining process for neural probes was demonstrated in the manufacture of a probe with a 32-site recording electrode array. The fork-like probe shafts were formed by double-sided deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, with the buried SiO2 layer acting as an etch stop. The shafts typically had the dimensions 5 mm × 25 μm × 20 μm and ended in chisel-shaped tips with lateral taper angles of 4°. An array of Ir electrodes, each 100 μm2, and Au conductor traces were formed on top of the shafts by e-beam evaporation. An accompanying interconnect solution based on flexible printed circuitry was designed, enabling precise and flexible positioning of the probes in neural tissue. SEM studies showed sharply defined probes and probe tips. The electrical yield and function were verified in bench-top measurements in saline. The magnitude of the electrode impedance was in the 1 MΩ range at 1 kHz, which is consistent with neurophysiological recordings.