Characterization of the Piezoelectric Response of Aluminum Nitride Grown by DC Magnetron Sputtering for Applications in Thin-film Resonators

Characterization of the Piezoelectric Response of Aluminum Nitride Grown by DC Magnetron Sputtering for Applications in Thin-film Resonators PDF Author: Rajan Sharad Naik
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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DC Magnetron Reactive Sputtering of Low Stress AlN Piezoelectric Thin Films for MEMS Application

DC Magnetron Reactive Sputtering of Low Stress AlN Piezoelectric Thin Films for MEMS Application PDF Author: Peter Y. Hsieh
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781423552901
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 61

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Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) often incorporate piezoelectric thin films to actuate and detect motion of mechanical structures. Aluminum nitride is advantageous for MEMS use because it can be deposited at low temperatures, is easily patterned using conventional photo lithographic techniques, and is compatible with CMOS contaminant requirements for silicon IC foundries. In this work, AlN thin films were deposited on silicon for use in a MEMS ultrasonic resonator. The resonator is configured as a gravimetric chemical sensor. A rotatable central composite designed experiment was performed to optimize film properties affecting device performance: film crystallinity, stress, and uniformity. Film property response characterization was conducted with x-ray diffractometry, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and surface profilometry. Optimization of film deposition parameters improved AlN film properties in the MEMS sensors. Film property characterization using response surface methodology indicated microstructural changes due to sputtered particle bombardment of the growing film surface. Surface morphology of the sputtered AlN films was assessed using tapping mode atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Energetic particle bombardment of the growing film surface helped to yield dense crystalline films with zone T microstructure. Thermalization of the impinging particle flux resulted in voided films with zone 1 microstructure with inferior film properties. Correlation between film crystallinity and oxygen content was explored with x-ray photoelectron spectrometry. Changes in film microstructure and composition are correlated with variations in deposition parameters. Adatom mobility during film growth appears to play an important role in determining final film properties.

Materials for Mechanical and Optical Microsystems: Volume 444

Materials for Mechanical and Optical Microsystems: Volume 444 PDF Author: Michael L. Reed
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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A selection of 33 reviewed papers explore the materials aspects of microsystems, especially those involving mechanical, optical, and thermal components. The topics include technology for micro- assembling, selective electroless copper metallization of epoxy substrates, an improved auto-adhesion measurement method for micro-machines polysilicon beams, patterned sol-gel structures by micro-molding in capillaries, the experimental analysis of the process of anodic bonding using an evaporated glass layer, the effect of inorganic thin film material processing and properties on stress in silicon piezoresistive pressure sensors, and photoconductivity in vacuum-deposited films of silicon-based polymers. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Aluminum Nitride Thin Films - Deposition for Fabrication, Characterization and Fabrication of Surface Acoustic Wave Devices

Aluminum Nitride Thin Films - Deposition for Fabrication, Characterization and Fabrication of Surface Acoustic Wave Devices PDF Author: Charlee Fansler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783836469722
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Aluminum Nitride (AlN) thin films can be used for many device applications; for example, Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications, and packaging applications. In this work, AlN is the critical layer in the fabrication process. One challenge is reliable deposition over wafer size substrates. The method of interest for deposition is pulsed DC sputtering. The (002) plane is the desired plane for its piezoelectric properties. The surface roughness of the deposited AlN is low and adheres well to the substrate. An AlN layer was deposited on a UNCD/Si substrate. Al was deposited on the AlN layer to form the IDTs (interdigital transducers) for SAW devices. SAW devices were fabricated on quartz - ST substrate. To verify the SAW devices work, they were tested using a network analyzer. This book discusses these results and parameters for AlN film deposition, film properties and implications for devices. This book would be beneficial for professionals, scientists, engineers, and graduate students in science and engineering working in the areas of wide bandgap semi-conductors, nitrides and piezoelectric materials and various acoustic wave devices.

Silicon Nitride Based Coatings Grown by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Silicon Nitride Based Coatings Grown by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering PDF Author: Tuomas Hänninen
Publisher: Linköping University Electronic Press
ISBN: 9176853748
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Silicon nitride and silicon nitride-based ceramics have several favorable material properties, such as high hardness and good wear resistance, which makes them important materials for the coating industry. This thesis focuses the synthesis of silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon carbonitride thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering. The films were characterized based on their chemical composition, chemical bonding structure, and mechanical properties to link the growth conditions to the film properties. Silicon nitride films were synthesized by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) from a Si target in Ar/N2 atmospheres, whereas silicon oxynitride films were grown by using nitrous oxide as the reactive gas. Silicon carbonitride was synthesized by two different methods. The first method was using acetylene (C2H2) in addition to N2 in a Si HiPIMS process and the other was co-sputtering of Si and C, using HiPIMS for Si and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) for graphite targets in an Ar/N2 atmosphere. Langmuir probe measurements were carried out for the silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride processes and positive ion mass spectrometry for the silicon nitride processes to gain further understanding on the plasma conditions during film growth. The target current and voltage waveforms of the reactive HiPIMS processes were evaluated. The main deposition parameter affecting the nitrogen concentration of silicon nitride films was found to be the nitrogen content in the plasma. Films with nitrogen contents of 50 at.% were deposited at N2/Ar flow ratios of 0.3 and above. These films showed Si-N as the dominating component in Si 2p X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) core level spectra and Si–Si bonds were absent. The substrate temperature and target power were found to affect the nitrogen content to a lower extent. The residual stress and hardness of the films were found to increase with the film nitrogen content. Another factors influencing the coating stress were the process pressure, negative substrate bias, substrate temperature, and HiPIMS pulse energy. Silicon nitride coatings with good adhesion and low levels of compressive residual stress were grown by using a pressure of 600 mPa, a substrate temperature below 200 °C, pulse energies below 2.5 Ws, and negative bias voltages up to 100 V. The elemental composition of silicon oxynitride films was shown to depend on the target power settings as well as on the nitrous oxide flow rate. Silicon oxide-like films were synthesized under poisoned target surface conditions, whereas films deposited in the transition regime between poisoned and metallic conditions showed higher nitrogen concentrations. The nitrogen content of the films deposited in the transition region was controlled by the applied gas flow rate. The applied target power did not affect the nitrogen concentration in the transition regime, while the oxygen content increased at decreasing target powers. The chemical composition of the films was shown to range from silicon-rich to effectively stoichiometric silicon oxynitrides, where no Si–Si contributions were found in the XPS Si 2p core level spectra. The film optical properties, namely the refractive index and extinction coefficient, were shown to depend on the film chemical bonding, with the stoichiometric films displaying optical properties falling between those of silicon oxide and silicon nitride. The properties of silicon carbonitride films were greatly influenced by the synthesis method. The films deposited by HiPIMS using acetylene as the carbon source showed silicon nitride-like mechanical properties, such as a hardness of ~ 20 GPa and compressive residual stresses of 1.7 – 1.9 GPa, up to film carbon contents of 30 at.%. At larger film carbon contents the films had increasingly amorphous carbon-like properties, such as densities below 2 g/cm3 and hardnesses below 10 GPa. The films with more than 30 at.% carbon also showed columnar morphologies in cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, whereas films with lower carbon content showed dense morphologies. Due to the use of acetylene the carbonitride films contained hydrogen, up to ~ 15 at.%. The co-sputtered silicon carbonitride films showed a layered SiNx/CNx structure. The hardness of these films increased with the film carbon content, reaching a maximum of 18 GPa at a film carbon content of 12 at.%. Comparatively hard and low stressed films were grown by co-sputtering using a C target power of 1200 W for a C content around 12 at.%, a negative substrate bias less than 100 V, and a substrate temperature up to 340 °C.

Processing of Silver-Implanted Aluminum Nitride for Energy Harvesting Devices

Processing of Silver-Implanted Aluminum Nitride for Energy Harvesting Devices PDF Author: Fatima Alleyne
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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One of the more attractive sources of green energy has roots in the popular recycling theme of other green technologies, now known by the term "energy scavenging." In its most promising conformation, energy scavenging converts cyclic mechanical vibrations in the environment or random mechanical pressure pulses, caused by sources ranging from operating machinery to human footfalls, into electrical energy via piezoelectric transducers. While commercial piezoelectrics have evolved to favor lead zirconate titanate (PZT) for its combination of superior properties, the presence of lead in these ceramic compounds raises resistance to their application in anything "green" due to potential health implications during their manufacturing, recycling, or in-service application, if leaching occurs. Therefore in this study we have pursued the application of aluminum nitride (AlN) as a non-toxic alternative to PZT, seeking processing pathways to augment the modest piezoelectric performance of AlN and exploit its compatibility with complementary-metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing. Such piezoelectric transducers have been categorized as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which despite more than a decade of research in this field, is plagued by delamination at the electrode/piezoelectric interface. Consequently the electric field essential to generate and sustain the piezoelectric response of these devices is lost, resulting in device failure. Working on the hypothesis that buried conducting layers can both mitigate the delamination problem and generate sufficient electric field to engage the operation of resonator devices, we have undertaken a study of silver ion implantation to experimentally assess its feasibility. As with most ion implantation procedures employed in semiconductor fabrication, the implanted sample is subjected to a thermal treatment, encouraging diffusion-assisted precipitation of the implanted species at high enough concentrations. The objective of this study is to understand the resulting phase transformation behavior during Ag precipitation with the intent to ultimately control the electrical operation of AlN piezoelectric resonators in energy scavenging applications. In this work, multiple source reactive ion sputtering was employed to deposit a thin film of AlN on a 525 microns thick Si substrate, followed by ion implantation (Ag cathode) into the aluminum nitride, and subsequent thermal annealing. Computer simulations were conducted to elucidate the projected range of the silver in the AlN epilayer as a result of the ion implantation process. A myriad of characterization methods including Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), rocking curve, electron microscopy was employed to quantify the concentration of silver, morphology of silver precipitates, as well as the composition, crystallinity and degree of damage in the ion-implanted AlN samples with respect to thermal annealing conditions. The presence, or lack of precipitates in the samples was utilized to draw conclusions about the feasibility of developing a buried conductive layer in a ceramic matrix via ion implantation. Computer simulations results obtained via TRIM and TRIDYN confirmed that the maximum concentration of silver lied within 30 - 47 nm from the surface. The RBS data verified the presence of Si, Al, N, Ag, and O2, whose concentration varied with temperature. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy corroborated the crystallinity of the AlN epilayer. Electron diffraction confirmed both the epitaxy of the AlN film on the (001) Si substrate and the crystalline quality of the epilayer prior to and after the thermal annealing treatment. Electron microscopy revealed that the sputtered AlN film grew epitaxially in a columnar morphology and silver precipitates did form in some of the aluminum nitride samples implanted but only in those implanted with a higher concentration of Ag under high-energy implantation conditions. It is concluded that the Ag implanted region does indeed have potential as a buried contact layer for piezoelectric activation and sensing if the critical concentration and appropriate thermal conditions can be attained.

Piezoelectric Aluminium Scandium Nitride (AlScN) Thin Films

Piezoelectric Aluminium Scandium Nitride (AlScN) Thin Films PDF Author: Agne Zukauskaite
Publisher: Mdpi AG
ISBN: 9783036563671
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Recently, aluminium scandium nitride (AlScN) emerged as a material with superior properties compared to aluminium nitride (AlN). Substituting Al with Sc in AlN leads to a dramatic increase in the piezoelectric coefficient as well as in electromechanical coupling. This discovery finally allowed us to overcome the limitations of AlN thin films in various piezoelectric applications while still enabling us to benefit from all of the advantages of the parent material system, such as a high temperature stability, CMOS compatibility, and good mechanical properties. Potential applications include RF filters (bulk acoustic wave (BAW) or surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators), energy harvesting, sensing applications, and infra-red detectors. The recent progress in MOCVD- and MBE-grown AlScN has led to high-frequency and -power electronics, (high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs)). AlScN is the first wurtzite III-nitride where ferroelectric switching was observed, allowing for many new possible applications in semiconductor memories additionally, it enables the additional functionality of switching to applications where piezoelectric materials are already in use. This Special Issue was very successful in covering all of the main aspects of AlScN research, including its growth, the fundamental and application-relevant properties, and device fabrication and characterization. We can see that AlScN technology is mature enough to be utilized in wafer-level material development and complicated devices, but there is still much to discover in terms of deposition process control, anisotropy, and, in particular, ferroelectric behavior.

Aluminum Nitride Thin Films for MEMS Resonators

Aluminum Nitride Thin Films for MEMS Resonators PDF Author: Vanni Lughi
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780542681318
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 530

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Book Description
High quality aluminum nitride films, meeting all the requirements for the fabrication of the resonators, were deposited at low temperature (

Ceramic Abstracts

Ceramic Abstracts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ceramics
Languages : en
Pages : 972

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High Temperature Annealing Studies on the Piezoelectric Properties of Thin Aluminum Nitride Films

High Temperature Annealing Studies on the Piezoelectric Properties of Thin Aluminum Nitride Films PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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A Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) system was used to anneal sputtered and MOVPE grown Aluminum Nitride (AlN) thin films at temperatures up to 1000°C in ambient and controlled environments. According to Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDAX), the films annealed in an ambient environment rapidly oxidize after five minutes at 1000°C. Below 1000°C the films oxidized linearly as a function of annealing temperature which is consistent with what has been reported in literature [1]. Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV) was used to measure the piezoelectric coefficient, d33, of these films. Films annealed in an ambient environment had a weak piezoelectric response indicating that oxidation on the surface of the film reduces the value of d33. A high temperature furnace has been built that is capable of taking in-situ measurements of the piezoelectric response of AlN films. In-situ d33 measurements are recorded up to 300°C for both sputtered and MOVPE-grown AlN thin films. The measured piezoelectric response appears to increase with temperature up to 300°C possibly due to stress in the film.