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Reliability and stability of thin-film amorphous silicon MEMS on glass substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2011

P. M. Sousa ,
V. Chu  and
J. P. Conde
P. M. Sousa
Affiliation:
INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN) and IN-Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Rua Alves Redol, 9, 1000-029 Lisboa, Portugal
V. Chu
Affiliation:
INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN) and IN-Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Rua Alves Redol, 9, 1000-029 Lisboa, Portugal
J. P. Conde
Affiliation:
INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN) and IN-Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Rua Alves Redol, 9, 1000-029 Lisboa, Portugal Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, 1000-049 Lisbon, Portugal
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Abstract

In this work, we present a reliability and stability study of doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (n+-a-Si:H) thin-film silicon MEMS resonators. The n+-a-Si:H structural material was deposited using radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) and processed using surface micromachining at a maximum deposition temperature of 110 ºC. n+-a-Si:H resonant bridges can withstand the industry standard of 1011 cycles at high load with no structural damage. Tests performed up to 3x1011 cycles showed a negligible level of degradation in Q during the entire cycling period which in addition shows the high stability of the resonator. In measurements both in vacuum and in air a resonance frequency shift which is proportional to the number of cycles is established. This shift is between 0.1 and 0.4%/1x1011 cycles depending on the applied VDC. When following the resonance frequency in vacuum during cyclic loading, desorption of air molecules from the resonator surface is responsible for an initial higher resonance frequency shift before the linear dependence is established.

Keywords

microelectro-mechanical (MEMS)Siamorphous
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1299: Symposium S – Microelectromechanical Systems—Materials and Devices IV , 2011 , mrsf10-1299-s04-08
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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References

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