Applications of laser processing for sensors and actuators
- Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, Quebec (Canada); and others
The fabrication of sensors and actuators requires new materials with multicomponent stoichiometry as well as new three-dimensional microstructures. The authors present several potential applications of laser processing for the fabrication of sensors and actuators. The first example concerns gas sensors which require ionic conductor multicomponent ceramics whose stoichiometry is not maintained by conventional sputtering methods. The authors have successfully employed pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for producing high quality NASICON (Na SuperIonic CONductor) thin films. XPS measurements show that all elements are transferred from a target of Na{sub 1+x}Zr{sub 2}Si{sub x}P{sub 3{minus}x}O{sub 12}, (where 0 < x < 3) to the substrate, and that the composition of the thin film is very close to that of the target. Electrical measurements show good ionic conductivity. Thus, these films are suitable for the fabrication of electrochemical gas sensors. Since such ceramic thin films are very sensitive to liquids, wet etching is prohibited, and patterning is done using laser ablation. For other applications, a laser micromachining technique has been developed to make tunnels and cavities in Si under SiO{sub 2} films, based on the laser-induced Cl{sub 2} etching of Si and high chlorine Si/SiO{sub 2} etch rate ratios. Tunnels with length of up to 3 mm and cavities of 100 x 100 {micro}m{sup 2} were successfully fabricated in SiO{sub 2}/Si bilayer samples. These are usable in microfluidic or gas pressure measurement systems.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)
- OSTI ID:
- 490856
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-951155-; ISBN 1-55899-300-2; TRN: IM9729%%107
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS), Boston, MA (United States), 27 Nov - 1 Dec 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Advanced laser processing of materials -- Fundamentals and applications; Singh, R. [ed.] [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)]; Norton, D. [ed.] [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)]; Laude, L. [ed.] [Univ. of Mons-Hainaut, Mons (Belgium)]; Narayan, J. [ed.] [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)]; Cheung, J. [ed.] [Rockwell International Science Center, Thousand Oaks, CA (United States)]; PB: 693 p.; Materials Research Society symposium proceedings, Volume 397
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
INCLUDING NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE DETECTORS
42 ENGINEERING NOT INCLUDED IN OTHER CATEGORIES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
ACTUATORS
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
SODIUM OXIDES
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES
SILICON OXIDES
PHOSPHORUS OXIDES
MACHINING
SILICON
EXCIMER LASERS
THIN FILMS
STOICHIOMETRY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY