IUVSTA 15th International Vacuum Congress (IVC-15), AVS 48th International Symposium (AVS-48), 11th International Conference on Solid Surfaces (ICSS-11)
    Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Thursday Sessions
       Session MM-ThM

Paper MM-ThM6
Silicon Carbide Films by Low Temperature CVD for MEMS Applications

Thursday, November 1, 2001, 10:00 am, Room 130

Session: Characterization of MEMS Materials
Presenter: D. Gao, University of California, Berkeley
Authors: D. Gao, University of California, Berkeley
C.R. Stoldt, University of California, Berkeley
W.R. Ashurst, University of California, Berkeley
C. Carraro, University of California, Berkeley
R. Maboudian, University of California, Berkeley
Correspondent: Click to Email
The single source CVD precursor, 1,3-disilabutane, is used to grow polycrystalline cubic silicon carbide (SiC) films for MEMS applications at temperatures below 1000 C. Using this process, SiC films are integrated into surface and bulk micromachining technologies to obtain SiC-based micromechanical structures. SiC cantilever beam arrays and strain gauges are fabricated and used to characterize film stress and stress gradients. Also, released polysilicon microstructures are coated with thin SiC films, and exhibit superior physicochemical characteristics. For instance, SiC-coated lateral resonators are functional after HF and hot KOH treatments and display increased resonant frequencies.