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Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, Volume 191, 1 March 2013, Pages 45-50.
R. Gueye, T. Akiyama, D. Briand, N.F. de Rooij
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Laboratory (SAMLAB), Switzerland
Abstract
Platinum/tantalum/silicon ohmic contacts were designed, fabricated and characterized to withstand high-temperature post-processing: the ohmic behavior was maintained after 1 h annealing, at temperatures up to 850 °C in an oxidizing environment. A LPCVD silicon nitride layer was added to passivate the contacts from oxidation and concentrated wet hydrofluoric acid (HF 49%) process steps; the later being widely used for the release of free-standing MEMS structures. The linear Transfer Length Method (TLM) was implemented to infer the specific contact resistance at the metal-silicon interface. The Pt/Ta/Si contacts were studied as part of the fabrication process of high-temperature Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). The fabricated KOH-TSVs are dedicated to a “via first” 3D-integration of a delicate RF-MEMS device. They are also of interest for harsh-environment silicon-based MEMS applications: one-week operation test at high-temperature, up to 450 °C, showed a high electrical resistance stability.
Additional Information:
The latest characterizations were presented in the conference Transducers 2013 and a proceeding was written:
R. Gueye, S.W. Lee, W.A. Vitale, S. Truax, T. Akiyama, C. Roman, A. Ionescu, C. Hierold, D. Briand, N.F. de Rooij, “RF-TSVs COMPATIBLE WITH HARSH-ENVIRONMENT POST-PROCESSING FOR “VIA-FIRST” 3D INTEGRATION”, Transducers 2013, Barcelona, Spain, 16-20 June 2013, pp. 830-833.”
