Comparative study of various release methods for gold surface micromachining

Akshdeep Sharma; Prachi Jhanwar; Deepak Bansal; Amit Kumar; Maninder Kaur; Shilpi Pandey; Prem Kumar; Dinesh Kumar; Kamaljit Rangra

doi:10.1117/1.JMM.13.1.013005

5 February 2014 Comparative study of various release methods for gold surface micromachining

Akshdeep Sharma, Prachi Jhanwar, Deepak Bansal, Amit Kumar, Maninder Kaur, Shilpi Pandey, Prem Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Kamaljit Rangra

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 13, Issue 1, 013005 (February 2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.13.1.013005

Abstract

A comparison of dry and wet release methods for surface micromachining of metallic structures, such as RF MEMS switches, test structures, bridges, and cantilevers is presented. The dry release process is optimized by varying the concentration of O ₂ and CF ₄ plasma and RF power. The plasma ashing of the sacrificial layer typically results in damage to metallic structures or stress-related deformation due to rise in temperature (<80°C ). A wet release process using critical point drying (CPD) has been investigated to realize gold-electroplated structures with reduced residual stress. The CPD, being a low-temperature (31.1°C) process, is more suitable for compliant structures without any deformation.

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Akshdeep Sharma, Prachi Jhanwar, Deepak Bansal, Amit Kumar, Maninder Kaur, Shilpi Pandey, Prem Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, and Kamaljit Rangra "Comparative study of various release methods for gold surface micromachining," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 13(1), 013005 (5 February 2014). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.13.1.013005

Published: 5 February 2014

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