Use of silicon oxynitride as a sacrificial material for microelectromechanical devices
- Corrales, NM
- Edgewood, NM
The use of silicon oxynitride (SiO.sub.x N.sub.y) as a sacrificial material for forming a microelectromechanical (MEM) device is disclosed. Whereas conventional sacrificial materials such as silicon dioxide and silicate glasses are compressively strained, the composition of silicon oxynitride can be selected to be either tensile-strained or substantially-stress-free. Thus, silicon oxynitride can be used in combination with conventional sacrificial materials to limit an accumulation of compressive stress in a MEM device; or alternately the MEM device can be formed entirely with silicon oxynitride. Advantages to be gained from the use of silicon oxynitride as a sacrificial material for a MEM device include the formation of polysilicon members that are substantially free from residual stress, thereby improving the reliability of the MEM device; an ability to form the MEM device with a higher degree of complexity and more layers of structural polysilicon than would be possible using conventional compressively-strained sacrificial materials; and improved manufacturability resulting from the elimination of wafer distortion that can arise from an excess of accumulated stress in conventional sacrificial materials. The present invention is useful for forming many different types of MEM devices including accelerometers, sensors, motors, switches, coded locks, and flow-control devices, with or without integrated electronic circuitry.
- Research Organization:
- SANDIA CORP
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Assignee:
- Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)
- Patent Number(s):
- US 6174820
- OSTI ID:
- 873497
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Fabrication of low-stress dielectric thin-film for microsensor applications
|
journal | December 1997 |
Silicon Oxynitride Films from the NO-NH[sub 3]-SiH[sub 4] Reaction
|
journal | January 1973 |
X-Ray Mask Technology
|
conference | June 1985 |
Physicochemical Properties of Chemical Vapor‐Deposited Silicon Oxynitride from a SiH4 ‐ CO 2 ‐ NH 3 ‐ H 2 System
|
journal | January 1978 |
Low-Temperature Deposition of Hydrogen-Free Silicon Oxynitride without Stress by the Remote Plasma Technique
|
journal | October 1990 |
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