Invited Paper TF+AS+EM+EN+MN-WeA9
Beyond Deep Silicon Etching – Generating High Aspect Ratio Microstructures by Infiltration of Carbon Nanotube Frameworks

Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 5:00 pm, Room 111

In addition to being the anchor material for microelectronics, silicon is widely used as the basis of high aspect ratio microfabrication for MEMS with applications ranging from inertial sensors to neural probe arrays. Carbon nanotube templated microfabrication (CNT-M), extends the palate of materials and structures for high aspect ratio microfabrication beyond those achievable with vertically etched bulk silicon. In CNT-M, 3-D forests of patterned vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes are grown as a high aspect ratio framework and then the “forests” are infiltrated with a secondary material by chemical vapor deposition. Precision structures (including nanoporous structures) with very high aspect ratios (greater than 400:1) can be generated with CNT-M. The infiltration materials range from ceramics to metals and include silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, carbon, nickel, and yes silicon. We are using CNT-M to fabricate functional structures for applications including mechanical actuation, chemical separations and detection, and electrochemical energy storage.