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Synthesis of Silicon Carbonitride for the Machining of Resonant Nanomechanical Biosensors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Lee M. Fishcer ,
Neal Wilding ,
Murat Gel  and
Stephane Evoy
Lee M. Fishcer
Affiliation:
lfischer@ualberta.ca, National Institute for Nanotechnology, Nanodevices and Sensors Group, 9107 - 116th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2V4, Canada
Neal Wilding
Affiliation:
nwilding@ualberta.ca, University of Alberta, Electrical and Computer Engineering, 9107 - 116th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2V4, Canada
Murat Gel
Affiliation:
gel@ualberta.ca, National Institute for Nanotechnology, Nanodevices and Sensors Group, 9107 - 116th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2V4, Canada
Stephane Evoy
Affiliation:
evoy@ece.ualberta.ca, National Institute for Nanotechnology, Nanodevices and Sensors Group, 9107 - 116th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2V4, Canada
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Abstract

We report a study on the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of silicon carbonitride, as well as the resonant behavior of nanomachined SiCN structures. Films with thicknesses of 1 um, and 200 nm were deposited at varying gas ratios using ammonia (NH3), nitrogen (N2), and diethylsilane (DES) as precursors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed high nitrogen and low carbon content in films deposited at high NH3:DES gas flow ratios. Selected samples annealed at varying temperatures experienced shifts in stress towards tensile of Δσ = 235 MPa, 432 MPa, 724 MPa, and 1140 MPa, at annealing temperatures of T = 400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C, and 700 °C respectively. Infrared spectroscopy reported a loss of incorporated hydrogen as a mechanism of stress modulation. Resonant assaying of cantilevers fabricated from 200 nm-thick SiCN yielded root-modulus-over-density values of √(E/ρ) = 6.95 × 103 m/s and √(E/ρ) = 8.35 × 103 m/s, comparable to those of silicon.

Keywords

plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) (deposition)annealingnanostructure
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 924: Symposium Z – Mechanics of Nanoscale Materials and Devices , 2006 , 0924-Z08-12
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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References

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