Etching, Molding and LIGA

Etching
the objective is to selectively remove material using imaged photoresist as a masking template The pattern can be etched directly into the silicon substrate or into a thin film, which may in turn be used as a mask for subsequent etches

Electrochemical Etching
The relatively large etch rates of anisotropic wet etchants (>0.5 m/min) make it difficult to achieve uniform and controlled etch depths. Some applications, such as bulk-micromachined pressure sensors, demand a thin (5- to 20-m) silicon membrane with dimensional thickness control and uniformity of better than 0.2 m, which is very difficult to achieve using timed etching. This method is commonly referred as electrochemical etching (ECE)

Plasma Etching
Plasma (or dry) etching is a key process in the semiconductor industry Conventional plasma-phase etch processes are commonly used for etching polysilicon in surface micromachining and for the formation of shallow cavities in bulk micromachining. deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) tool for the etching of very deep trenches (over 500 m) with nearly vertical sidewalls. Plasma etching involves the generation of chemically reactive neutrals (e.g., F, Cl), and ions (e.g., SFx+) that are accelerated under the effect of an electric field toward a target substrate.

 A fully suspended ntype crystalline silicon island electrochemically etched in TMAH after the completion of the CMOS processing. (Courtesy of: R. Reay, Linear Technology, Inc., of Milpitas, California, and E. Klaassen, Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, California.)

DRIE
Profile of a DRIE trench using the Bosch process. The process cycles between an etch step using SF6 gas and a polymer deposition step using C4F8. The polymer protects the sidewalls from etching by the reactive fluorine radicals. The scalloping effect of the etch is exaggerated.

 A limitation of DRIE is the dependence of the etch rates on the aspect ratio (ratio of height to width) of the trench (see Figures 3.13 and 3.14). The effect is known as lag or aspect-ratio-dependent etching (ARDE). The etch rate decreases with increasing trench aspect ratio. (Courtesy of: GE NovaSensor of Fremont, California.)

Reactive Ion Etching

an ion-assisted reactive etching method used in the semiconductor fabrication process. excellent process control (homogeneity, etchrate, etch-profile, selectivity), which is critical for high-fidelity pattern-transfer used in the manufacturing of topographical structures in micro- and nano-system technologies RIE is based on a combination of chemical and physical etching which allows isotropic and anisotropic (uni-directional) material removal.

The etching process is carried out in a chemically reactive plasma containing positively and negatively charged ions generated from the gas that is pumped into the reaction chamber. A mask on top of the substrate is used to protect certain areas from etching, exposing only the areas to be etched. The ions are accelerated into the etching region, where they attack the substrate surface and react with it RIE primarily employs ion-assisted processes, where heavy ion bombardment damages chemical bonds and the radicals chemically react with exposed surface atoms producing a volatile product. RIE provides excellent pattern-transfer results even for very fine structures significantly under 100nm.

*) Resolution testpattern in Silicon *) Detail of a high-resolution neurochip structure (e-Beam Lithography & RIE)

*)Teststpattern etched 500 nm deep into silicon ( 193 nm DUV-Litho. in 110 nm thick PMMA) *)-Cocktail Glass Set fabricated in Silicon

*) 100 m -gears *) 420 m deep etched Si-micro-needles

*) Etched silicon templates for micro gears *)200 m deep etched Si-trench pattern

Deep Reactive Ion Etching

a RIE modification for silicon deep etching using alternating etch and passivation cycles (gas chopping, time-multiplexed etching, ASE Advanced Silicon Etching) It is used for high anisotropy and etch rates to obtain patterns with maximal aspect ratios and resolution.

 Selectivity, anisotropy and etch rates can be controlled through the process chemistry (gases) and process parameters (RF-power, pressure, gas flow, substrate cooling etc.) High anisotropy of etched structures is guaranteed by applying side-wall polymer passivation.

 Deep etching down to 1 mm Aspect ratios (width/height) from 1:10 to 1:100 (material dependent) Resolution below 100 nm (mask dependent)

 http://www.fhv.at/fhv-science/microtechnology/dry-etching-rie-and-drie

Fields of application
Semiconductor technology Micro-reactors, micro-flow sensors, microswitches, optocouplers, micro-motors, biosensors Small-sized components for movable and unmovable microstructures

MICRO-ELECTROPLATING
Micro-electroplating involves the electro-chemical deposition of metallic layers on objects In combination with optical lithography, various metallic microstructures can be produced (so-called LIGA ("Lithographisch-Galvanische Abformung") process using lithography, electroplating and moulding) In this approach a negative form of the desired metal structure is generated by means of lithography in a photosensitive film (photoresist). In the next technological step electroplating is used to fill metal into the empty spaces in this form, which then form a secondary structure (the desired metal structure).

 To achieve this, different electrolytes are used according to specific requirements: nickel, hard nickel, nickel alloys and copper for the electrodeposition of copper layers and nickel layers with thicknesses up to several millimetres Undercoating layers and start (seed) layers for electrodeposition are generated by means of a sputter (vacum deposition) process.

*) 80 m thick electroplated -coils realized by electroplating of Cu on a 4-inch wafer

*)Detail of a 87 m thick -coil of nickel

*) Details of 70 m thick Cu-electroplated -coil for RFID deposited on Pyrex wafer

*)3 m wide and 10 m thick Cu-reliefpattern *) Resolution test evaluation in 3D

*)Cu-electroplated resolution-testpattern

*)50 m Lines/Spaces gridpattern filled by electroplated copper

Electroplating and Molding

Electroplating is a well-established industrial method that has been adapted in micromachining technology to the patterned deposition of metal films. A variety of metals including gold, copper, nickel, and nickel-iron (Permalloy) have been electroplated on silicon substrates coated with a suitable thin metal plating base.

 a conducting seed layer (e.g., of gold or nickel) is deposited on the substrate. A thick (5- to 100-m) resist is then deposited The largest aspect ratio achievable with optical lithography is approximately three, limited by resolution and depth of focus. In LIGA, optical lithography is replaced with x-ray lithography to define very high aspect ratio features (>100) in very thick (up to 1,000 m) poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) (plexiglass based). The desired metal is then plated Finally, the resist and possibly the seed layer outside the plated areas are stripped off.

Illustration of mold formation using either optical or x-ray lithography and electroplating (LIGA).

 The process may be stopped at this point with a metal microstructure suitable for some purposes. Alternatively, the metal can be used as a mold for plastic parts (the A in LIGA). Precision gears and other microstructures have been fabricated using LIGA, but the method is considered expensive because of the requirement to use collimated x-ray irradiation available only from synchrotrons. Mold formation using optical lithography is often called poor mans LIGA.

Fields of application
Form and mint applications Electrodes for micro-erosion Masks for laser ablation Metallic micro-prefabricated parts

Ultraprecision Mechanical Machining

Cutting tools such as mills, lathes, and drills using a specially hardened cutting edge Using modern computer-numerical-controlled (CNC) machines with sharply tipped diamond-cutting tools many metals and even silicon have been milled to a desired shape, with some features smaller than 10 m. Resolution of about 0.5 m can be achieved, with surface roughnesses on the order of 10 nm Example applications include optical mirrors and computer hard drive disks.

Laser Machining
Focused pulses of radiation, typically 0.1100 ns in duration, from a high-power laser can ablate material (explosively remove it as fine particles and vapor) from a substrate. Incorporating such a laser in a CNC system enables precision laser machining. Holes as small as tens of microns in diameter, with aspect ratios greater than 10:1, can be produced. Arbitrary shapes of varying depths are laser machined by scanning the beam to remove a shallow layer of material, then scanning again until the desired depth has be reached Laser machining can be used to create perforations in silicon wafers for subsequent cleaving to form individual chips, as well as simply cutting though the full wafer thickness.

 Laser machining examples: (a) microlenses in polycarbonate; and (b) fluid-flow device in plastic. Multiple depths of material can be removed. (Courtesy of: Exitech Ltd., of Oxford, United Kingdom.)

Electrodischarge Machining
Electrodischarge machining, also called electrical-discharge machining or sparkerosion machining (EDM) uses a series of electrical discharges (sparks) to erode material from a conductive workpiece. High-voltage pulses, repeated at 50 kHz to 500 kHz, are applied to a conductive electrode, typically made of graphite, brass, copper, or tungsten Electrodes as small as 40 m in diameter have been used, limiting features to about the same size Features with aspect ratios of over 10 can be fabricated, with a surface roughness on the order of 100 nm Each discharge removes a small volume of material, typically in the range of 103 to 105 m3, from the workpiece EDM has been used to create the tooling for molds and stamping tools, as well as final products such as nozzles and holes in microneedles.

Screen Printing
silk screening In electronics, it has long been used in the production of ceramic packages and more recently for large flat-panel displays A wide variety of materials, including metals and ceramics, can be applied using screen printing. It does not have same resolution as photolithography, but is cost effective and is readily applied to large substrates

Screen Printing
Screen printing begins with the production of a stencil, which is a flat, flexible plate with solid and open areas The stencil often has a fine-mesh screen as a bottom layer to provide mechanical rigidity Separately, a paste is made of fine particles of the material of interest, along with an organic binder and a solvent. A mass of paste is applied to the stencil, then smeared along with a squeegee. A thin layer of paste is forced though the openings in the stencil, leaving a pattern on the underlying substrate. Drying evaporates the solvent Firing burns off the organic binder and sinters the remaining metal or ceramic into a solid, resulting in a known amount of shrinkage.

 Metal lines with 125-mlines and spaces are made in the production of ceramic packaging , with 30-m features demonstrated . Film thicknesses after firing range from roughly 10 to 200 m. Multiple layers of different materials can be stacked

Microcontact Printing/Soft Lithography Microcontact printing, a microscale form of ink printing also called softlithography It enables low-cost production of submicrometer patterns and has been studied as an alternative to conventional photolithography, but is not presently a product fabrication method.

 the production of the original, hard, three-dimensional master pattern which can involve conventional photolithography and etching, electron-beam lithography, laser scribing, diamond scribing, or any other suitable method. A mold of an elastomer, usually poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), is made against the master, then peeled off to create a stamp with raised patterns. An ink, a liquid solution typically of an alkanethiol (a hydrocarbon chain ending in a thiol, an SH group) such as hexadecanethiol, is poured onto the PDMS stamp and dried. The inked stamp is then held against a substrate coated with gold, silver, or copper, then removed The thiol end of each ink molecule bonds to the metal, forming a densely packed, single-molecule-thick coating of hexadecanethiol where the raised areas of the stamp were

 Microcontact printing: (a) create master; (b) form PDMS stamp and peel off; (c) coat with ink; (d) press inked stamp against metal and remove, leaving ink monolayer; (e) use selfassembled monolayer as an etch mask; or (f) as a plating mask

Hot Embossing
In the hot embossing process, a pattern in a master is transferred to a thermoplastic material. If the dimensions are relatively large (>100 m), the master can be made with conventional machining Smaller dimensions can be produced using nickel electroplated through patterned photoresist The master is pressed into the thermoplastic (e.g., PMMA, polycarbonate, polypropylene) just above the materials glass transition temperature The master and plastic are cooled while in contact, then separated, leaving a pattern in the plastic.

Nanoimprint Litography