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As a non-destructive and rapid technique, optical scatterometry has gained widespread use in the measurement of film thickness and optical constants. The recent advances in deep learning have presented new and powerful approaches to the resolution of inverse scattering problems. However, the application of deep-neural-network-assisted optical scatterometry for nanostructures still faces significant challenges, including poor stability, limited functionalities, and high equipment requirements. In this paper, a novel characterization method is proposed, which employs deep-neural-network-assisted ellipsometry to address these challenges. The method processes ellipsometric angles, which are measured by basic ellipsometers, as functional signals. A comprehensive model is developed to profile nano-gratings fabricated by diverse techniques, by incorporating rounded corners, residual layers, and optical constants into an existing model. The stability of the model is enhanced by implementing several measures, including multiple sets of initial values and azimuth-resolved measurements. A simple compensation algorithm is also introduced to improve accuracy without compromising efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can rapidly and accurately characterize nano-gratings fabricated by various methods, with relative errors of both geometric and optical parameters well controlled under 5 %. Thus, the method holds great promise to serve as an alternative to conventional characterization techniques for in-situ measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamond nanostructures can have exciting applications in electronics and thermal management, but their controlled fabrication can be challenging. Here, we present a top-down approach for the fabrication of diamond nanorod (DNR) clusters, via use of metal masks (Al, Ag, Au, and Cr) and reactive-ion etching (RIE). Prolonged RIE on Ag and Cr masks yields distinct etching profiles, and DNR clusters are selectively formed from Ag masks, with individual nanorods having dimensions of ∼100 nm diameter and ∼ 1.5 μm length. Detailed electron microscopy shows thin layer of amorphous carbon (a-C) around single crystalline DNR cores. Chemical analyses also show presence of oxygen on the surface of the DNRs. Fabrication of the DNR clusters with scalable top-down approach could lead to new nanodiamond-based applications. [Display omitted] • Our study presents a top-down approach for fabricating diamond nanorod (DNR) clusters. • We uncover responses of different metal masks (Al, Ag, Au, and Cr) to plasma etching, providing valuable insights for optimizing fabrication processes. • In-situ decomposition of bulk Ag into nanoparticles during reactive-ion etching (RIE), facilitates controlled DNR formation. • Through detailed microscopic analyses, we characterize the morphology and composition of DNR clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anti‐icing polyimide (PI) thin films are a promising anti‐icing technology for aircraft. A processing method combining reactive ion etching with cooling and plasma chemical vapour deposition is proposed to fabricate anti‐icing PI thin films with microcolumns (PI‐M). The anti‐icing performance of PI‐M was examined. The apparent contact angle (APCA) was 153° ± 1.4°, and the APCA hysteresis was 8.5° ± 0.5°. The calculated Weber number was high, and a droplet on PI‐M rebounded within 2.56 s, whereas rebounding occurred more slowly on a smooth PI surface (PI‐S). The freezing time of droplets on PI‐M was 70% longer than that on PI‐S. The average ice adhesion force on PI‐M was 42% smaller than that on PI‐S. Repeated measurements of the ice adhesion force on PI‐M demonstrated that it was stable (deviation: ±1 N). The APCA showed that PI‐M is superhydrophobic, which indicates that droplets on PI‐M were in the Cassie state. The droplet bouncing behaviour was explained in terms of horizontal force equilibrium at the interface. The anti‐icing mechanism of PI‐M was modelled using heterogeneous nucleation theory and a contact area model. The results explained the good anti‐icing performance and suggested that PI‐M may have excellent potential for anti‐icing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) is commonly used for high aspect ratio silicon micromachining. However, scalloping, which is the result of the alternating Bosch process of DRIE, can cause many problems in the subsequent process and degrade device performance. In this work, we propose a simple and effective method to smoothen the scalloping of DRIE trenches. The proposed method utilizes sidewall dry etching by reactive-ion etching (RIE) based sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) plasmas, following the DRIE process. To investigate the effect of the etch parameter on the scallop smoothing effect, the radio frequency (RF) power and gas flow are controlled. After the RIE treatment, the scallop smoothing effects were evaluated by measuring the average scallop depth under each condition. The scallop depth was reduced by 91% after implementing the scallop smoothing technique using RIE. Thus, our smoothening method based on SF6 plasmas would provide broad availabilities and applicability in silicon micromachining with the simple low-temperature process.

Hypothesis: Recent advances in micro- and nanotechnology have led to possible design of functional micro/nanostructured surfaces with micro/nanotopography features that can exhibit low adhesion properties. An important example of such structures is superhydrophobic surface, which is extremely water repellent. In the present work, the effects of surface microtopography on the wetting of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) rubber film with the goal of producing superhydrophobic surface are investigated. Methods: Micropillar arrays inspired by biological structures found in nature are produced on PDMS surface using a soft microlithography technique with different pitch/width ratios. To this end, the masters are fabricated using conventional microfabrication techniques and photolithography. Master designs tested are inverted pillar shape fabricated by anisotropic etching of silicon (reactive-ion etching, DRIE), a high aspect ratio master and a low aspect ratio photoresist master.Findings: Our fabricated pillars have nano-scale ripples that arise from the series of alternating, independent silicon etching and sidewall passivation steps used in the DRIE process. The elastomeric stamps are negative replicas of the masters and they are fabricated by PDMS. The stamps have a regular array of protruding features, in order to make a pattern transfer to the target substrate during m-contact printing. Several pitch/width ratios are configured to optimize the relationship between surface topography and wetting behavior of PDMS film using static water contact angle measurements. We have correlated these structures with PDMS rubber hydrophobicity and have also characterized the transition from the composite (Cassie-Baxter) to wetted (Wenzel) states for different types of surface structures. The surface topography-dependent contact angle of water underwent a transition from Cassie-Baxter to Wenzel states at pitch size ~60 mm.

The surface photovoltage (SPV) technique was used to study the surface and electrical properties of Mg-doped, p-type AlxGa1-xN (0.06

Deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) is commonly used for high aspect ratio silicon micromachining. However, scalloping, which is the result of the alternating Bosch process of DRIE, can cause many problems in the subsequent process and degrade device performance. In this work, we propose a simple and effective method to smoothen the scalloping of DRIE trenches. The proposed method utilizes sidewall dry etching by reactive-ion etching (RIE) based sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) plasmas, following the DRIE process. To investigate the effect of the etch parameter on the scallop smoothing effect, the radio frequency (RF) power and gas flow are controlled. After the RIE treatment, the scallop smoothing effects were evaluated by measuring the average scallop depth under each condition. The scallop depth was reduced by 91% after implementing the scallop smoothing technique using RIE. Thus, our smoothening method based on SF6 plasmas would provide broad availabilities and applicability in silicon micromachining with the simple low-temperature process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major problems with the bone implant surfaces after surgery is the competition of host and bacterial cells to adhere to the implant surfaces. To keep the implants safe against implant-associated infections, the implant surface may be decorated with bactericidal nanostructures. Therefore, fabrication of nanostructures on biomaterials is of growing interest. Here, we systematically studied the effects of different processing parameters of inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP RIE) on the Ti nanostructures. The resultant Ti surfaces were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements. The specimens etched using different chamber pressures were chosen for measurement of the mechanical properties using nanoindentation. The etched surfaces revealed various morphologies, from flat porous structures to relatively rough surfaces consisting of nanopillars with diameters between 26.4 ± 7.0 nm and 76.0 ± 24.4 nm and lengths between 0.5 ± 0.1 μm and 5.2 ± 0.3 μm. The wettability of the surfaces widely varied in the entire range of hydrophilicity. The structures obtained at higher chamber pressure showed enhanced mechanical properties. The bactericidal behavior of selected surfaces was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria while their cytocompatibility was evaluated with murine preosteoblasts. The findings indicated the potential of such ICP RIE Ti structures to incorporate both bactericidal and osteogenic activity, and pointed out that optimization of the process conditions is essential to maximize these biofunctionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using a methane and hydrogen process gas mixture in an appropriate hot-filament CVD process without further dopant, high electrical conductivity of over 100 S/cm has been achieved in nanocrystalline diamond films deposited on silicon single-crystalline substrates. Furthermore, it was found that an oxygen reactive-ion etching process (O-RIE) can improve the diamond film surface’s electron affinity, thus reducing the specific contact resistance. The reduction of the specific contact resistance by a factor of up to 16 was realized by the oxygen ion etching process, down to 6×10−6 Ωcm2. We provide a qualitative explanation for the mechanism behind the contact resistance reduction in terms of the electron affinity of the diamond surface. With the aid of XPS, AFM, and surface wetting measurements, we confirmed that a higher surface electron affinity is responsible for the lower specific contact resistance of the oxygen-terminated nanocrystalline diamond films.

A facile and novel fabrication method is demonstrated for creating flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)-embedded silver meshes using crack lithography, reactive ion etching (RIE), and reactive silver ink. The crack width and spacing in a waterborne acrylic emulsion polymer are controlled by the thickness of the polymer and the applied stress due to heating and evaporation. Our innovative fabrication technique eliminates the need for sputtering and ensures stronger adhesion of the metal meshes to the PET substrate. Crack trench depths over 5 μm and line widths under 5 μm have been achieved. As a transparent electrode, our flexible embedded Ag meshes exhibit a visible transmission of 91.3% and sheet resistance of 0.54 Ω/sq as well as 93.7% and 1.4 Ω/sq. This performance corresponds to figures of merit (σ DC /σ OP ) of 7500 and 4070, respectively. For transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, the metal meshes achieve a shielding efficiency (SE) of 42 dB with 91.3% visible transmission and an EMI SE of 37.4 dB with 93.7% visible transmission. We demonstrate the highest transparent electrode performance of crack lithography approaches in the literature and the highest flexible transparent EMI shielding performance of all fabrication approaches in the literature. These metal meshes may have applications in transparent electrodes, EMI shielding, solar cells, and organic light-emitting diodes.

Abstract Lab based x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) systems have historically focused on medical applications, but there is growing interest in material science applications for non-destructive analysis of low density materials. Extending this imaging technique to higher density materials or larger samples requires higher aspect ratio gratings, to allow the use of a higher energy x-ray source. In this work, we demonstrate the use of anisotropic silicon (Si) etching in potassium hydroxide (KOH), to achieve extremely high aspect ratio gratings. This method has been shown to be effective in fabricating deep, uniform gratings by taking advantage of the etch selectivity of differing crystalline planes of silicon. Our work has demonstrated a method for determining Si crystalline plane directions, specific to (110) Si wafers, enabling high alignment accuracy of the etch mask to these crystalline planes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract State of the art grating fabrication currently limits the maximum source energy that can be used in lab based x-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) systems. In order to move to higher source energies, and image high density materials or image through encapsulating barriers, new grating fabrication methods are needed. In this work we have analyzed a new modality for grating fabrication that involves precision alignment of etched gratings on both sides of a substrate, effectively doubling the thickness of the grating. We have achieved a front-to-backside feature alignment accuracy of 0.5 µm demonstrating a methodology that can be applied to any grating fabrication approach extending the attainable aspect ratios allowing higher energy lab based XPCI systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High quality gratings are among the key elements for successful imaging with X-ray grating interferometry. Grating fabrication, specifically of absorption gratings, with high aspect ratio and large area, is a great challenge from a microfabrication point of view. In this paper the fabrication of absorption gratings by seedless electroplating of gold in high aspect ratio silicon moulds that are fabricated by deep reactive ion etching (Bosch process) is presented. We report on our latest results and discuss the possibility of reducing the grating period down to 1.3 μ m. In addition, the quality of the gratings is assessed by performing visibility measurements and imaging various samples on a compact in house X-ray grating interferometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Silicon nanopillar (Si NP) arrays with the axial p-n junction were formed and investigated. A method to fabricate Si NP ordered arrays by means of electron beam lithography using the negative electron resist and reactive ion etching is presented. The effect of strong resonance light scattering – change of the color of separate Si NPs - was demonstrated. One or several minima were registered in the measured reflection spectra. Thereat, the position of reflection minimum was changed with a change in Si NP diameter. A shift of the minimum position towards the longer wavelength spectral region with an increase in Si NP diameter was observed. A shift of the position of minima to the shorter wavelength spectral region with a decrease in Si NP pitch in microarrays with the same Si NP diameter was observed. The quantitative divergence in the position of reflection minima in Si NPs with calculated dependencies for Mie resonances was found. High photosensitivity of Si NP arrays with axial p-n junction to visible and near IR light was discovered. So, these structures may be used for selective photonic sensors. Highlights • Si NP ordered arrays with axial p-n junction were fabricated. • Strong resonance light scattering causes changes of Si NP color. • Arrays with axial p-n junction are highly sensitive to visible and near IR light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • c-Si wafers have been plasma textured by using RIE process operating with CF 4 /O 2 gaseous mixtures. • Surface textures have been produced at different etch durations, utilizing room temperature and high process pressure. • Optimized surface textures gave low optical reflection loss. • The small pyramid-like structures on Si substrates can be proposed for the preparation of highly efficient Si-HJT devices. Abstract Dry and maskless texturing process of mono-crystalline silicon wafers using CF 4 /O 2 plasma in a reactive ion etching (RIE) system has been developed with the aim of obtaining optimized surface texture characterized by low optical reflection loss for photovoltaic applications. In this study c-Si has been successfully subjected to plasma etching at unusual process conditions, specifically high value of substrate temperature (15 °C) coupled with high value of process pressure (40 Pa). Different c-Si surface textures are produced at different etch durations. Specifically, pyramid-like morphology appears at very short etch time and crater-like nanostructures form at longer etch time, whereas the former gives the lowest average reflectance (<5%). Furthermore, we clearly observe a slowing down of the etching rate starting from 5 min and in correspondence with the appearance of the sponge-like structure coupled with pores formation. Geometric parameters of morphological features, such as RMS and average inclination angle of the surface features, have been correlated with some specific texture functions such as angular distribution of scattered light Ps(θ) obtained by Angular Resolved Scattering (ARS) technique. Shape and slope of the texture features strongly determine the amount of forward scattered light and, as a consequence, the amount of reflectance decrease. Surface texture obtained after only 3 min of etch and characterized both by well distributed small normal pyramids and by high average inclination angle, proves to be more effective in giving reflection reduction respect to other surface textures characterized by inhomogeneously distributed large cavities. Finally, we can well suppose that this small pyramid-like texture on Si-substrates can be used for the preparation of highly efficient heterojunction-based solar cells (Si-HJT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Determination of silicon nanomechanical properties by instrumented nanoindentation • Top-down fabrication of silicon pillar structures by nanoimprint lithography • Precise control of inductively coupled plasma cryogenic reactive ion etching • Qualitative and quantitative analysis of indentation modulus and hardness on monocrystalline silicon with different crystal orientation • Comparison of elastic-plastic response of bulk and micro-structured silicon materials Abstract Nanomechanical properties of bulk and micro-pillared monocrystalline silicon are experimentally investigated using nanoscale depth-sensing indentation technique. Silicon pillar arrays with different crystal orientations, i.e., Si<100>, Si<110>, and Si<111>, are prepared by means of a top-down approach consisting of nanoimprint lithography and cryogenic dry etching. A three-sided Berkovich tip used during the experiments has provided highly resolved load-depth-curves and imprinted hardness impressions on the silicon materials. Depending on the aspect ratio of the pillars, the axial stiffness of the objects under measurement has to be considered. Corrected values of the elastic modulus are determined revealing direct nanomechanical comparison between silicon bulk and pillar structures. In summary, enhanced comprehension of elastic-plastic-response occurred within micro-structured silicon materials is shown, providing the potential to use silicon pillar arrays as fundamental material for accurate force measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Carbon-based materials have attracted much attention in biological applications like interfacing electrodes with neurons and cell growth platforms due to their natural biocompatibility and tailorable material properties. Here we have fabricated sputtered carbon thin film electrodes for bioelectrical measurements. Reactive ion etching (RIE) recipes were optimized with Taguchi method to etch the close field unbalanced magnetron sputtered carbon thin film (nanocarbon, nC) consisting of nanoscale crystalline sp2-domains in amorphous sp3-bonded backbone. Plasma etching processes used gas mixtures of Ar/O 2 /SF 6 /CHF 3 for RIE and O 2 /SF 6 for ICP-RIE. The highest achieved etch rate for nanocarbon was ≫389 nm/min and best chromium etch mask selectivity was 135:1. Biocompatibility of the material was tested with rat neuronal cultures. Next, we fabricated multielectrode arrays (MEA) with carbon recording electrodes and metal wiring. Organotypic brain slices grown on the MEAs were viable and showed characteristic spontaneous electrical network activity. The results demonstrate that interactions with nanocarbon substrate support neuronal survival and maturation of functional neuronal networks. Thus the material can have wide applications in biomedical research. Graphical Abstract Highlights • Plasma etching optimization for nanocarbon thin film with Taguchi-method • Successful fabrication of multielectrode array from nanocarbon thin film • Nanocarbon thin film supports neuronal culturing with similar viability as glass. • Nanocarbon multielectrode array allowed electrophysiological recordings. • Use of carbon for bioelectrical sensing is an attractive alternative to metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nanofluidic channels with a depth of ∼100 nm were developed as a leak element, where the fluidic channels were etched on silicon wafer by reactive ion etching and then enclosed by direct silicon bonding. Instead of the Torr-seal gluing method, a tight lamination between the chip and the vacuum flange was achieved using indium gasket sealing, eliminating the influence of Torr-seal outgassing. Two leak elements with different amount of parallel channels were fabricated and their values were characterized by the difference method. The results demonstrate that the conductance of the leak elements behave in reasonable agreement with their theoretically calculated conductance with relative errors of approximately 4.9% and 42.7%, respectively. The gas flow through these leak elements realizes molecular flow at pressures ranging from high vacuum up to 105 Pa for helium, argon, and nitrogen and can therefore be used as predictable leak elements for any gas. Highlights • Nanofluidic channels with a depth of ∼100 nm are developed as a leak element and enclosed by direct silicon bonding. • A new leak element is packaged with an indium gasket to eliminate the influence of Torr-seal outgassing. • The conductance of the two leak elements is measured based on difference method. • The gas flow through the leak element is molecular flow range up to 105 Pa for helium, argon, and nitrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication process of a microparabolic reflector using isotropic xenon difluoride (XeF2) etching technique is presented and analysed through this work for developing infrared antenna-coupled detectors. Although many parametric studies described the behaviour of this process in the literature, the non-linearity of the process and its dramatic dependency on the pattern definition result in great difficulties when adopting the process for developing a particular structure. The main focus of this work is, therefore, to present a detailed etching analysis as dictated in the proposed design providing the proper etching recipe according to the proposed structure design and its associated masking pattern. Deep insights into the process have been highlighted suggesting the necessity of the process assessment in terms of evaluating the threedimensional etched volume rather than the etched depth. This will potentially solve the non-linearity behaviour and the pattern dependency problem. The optimum etching recipe yields approximately a total volume of 0.354 mm³ through the proper patterning mask. The resultant parabolic cavities have 75 and 13mm in their diameter and depth, respectively, as required for the proposed structure. The integration of a microparabolic reflector with such detectors will potentially enhance the specific detectivity of these detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the authors report a cost-effective fabrication method for making gallium nitride (GaN) light emitting diode (LED) arrays using SF6 plasma in a conventional reactive-ion etching (RIE) system. The etch rates for GaN were investigated with different radio-frequency power and carrier substrates. The surface roughness due to the etching was also determined for the various recipes used. The optical intensity and the temperature change during operation of the fabricated LED's were investigated. The effect of post-fabrication annealing on enhancement in the electrical and optical properties of the LED's was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An approach for improving sidewall roughness of high-aspect-ratio trench is developed. This method relies on the aspect ratio dependent scalloping attenuation (ARDSA) effect in Bosch process, employs reactive ion etching (RIE) process to avoid the rippled sidewall at the top of the trench, while retains Bosch process with increasing trench depth. As both the RIE and Bosch processes are recognized production techniques, this method is easy to implement. Compared with standard Bosch process, the maximum root mean square (RMS) roughness of the sidewall is brought down from 15.1 nm to 6.89 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal contacts on semiconductors devices are normally defined by lift-off process, because no well-defined etch processes exist for some rare metals. In this work, an RIE process for gold contacts is introduced which requires a high-density plasma, generated by electron cyclotron resonance. The proof is given by the residual-free etching without fence-generation and micromasking in the vicinity of the mask. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Side etching and scalloping are unwanted but unavoidable phenomenon occurring during fabrication process of micro electro-mechanical system devices with the deep reactive ion etching technology. This paper reports the influence of deep reactive ion etching fabrication errors on the geometrical dimension (as a comb finger shape, width of the suspension beam), electrostatic force and displacement of electrostatic linear comb-drive actuators. A number of deep reactive ion etching experiments were carried out in order to find out the optimal etching and passivation time, which allows to achieve vertical and smooth sidewall, as well as acceptable side etching value. Discussion and evaluation of deviation between the theoretically calculated and measured displacements of the electrostatic linear comb-drive actuator were also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a high-performance porous metal–insulator–metal-type capacitive humidity sensor based on a functional polymer mixed with TiO 2 microparticles subjected to inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and reactive-ion etching (RIE) treatments. The humidity sensor is composed of a porous top electrode, a TiO 2 -containing functional polymer humidity-sensitive layer subjected to two types of oxygen plasma treatment, a bottom electrode, and a glass substrate. The initial O 2 ICP dry-etching utilizes higher intensity plasma for deep etching in the inlet holes on the top electrode to increase the contact area and shorten the vapor absorption path, thereby yielding high sensitivity and low hysteresis. Further, the RIE treatment leads to roughening of the polymer etching surface and further improving the performance of the humidity sensor. The functional polymer mixed with TiO 2 microparticles exhibits excellent hysteresis over a wide humidity sensing range. The fabricated sensors are tested at various relative humidity (RH) values, achieving an ultra-low hysteresis of 0.64% RH at 60% RH, a high sensitivity of 1.24 pF/% RH, a fast response time of less than 25 s, good temperature dependence, and a stable capacitance value with a maximum error rate of 0.15% over 120 h of continuous testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inductively coupled plasma reactive-ion etching (ICP-RIE) is first applied to decrease the thickness of a Si substrate for light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) characterization. A simple and reliable process flow with the self-aligned Al layer as a hard mask layer in ICP-RIE is used to fabricate a thin semiconductor substrate with Al back-side contact. A single-side polished P-type Si wafer with a thickness of 350 μm is decreased to 100 μm by ICP-RIE from the polished side. The thickness of the thin Si substrate and the dimensions of the designed patterns determined by ICP-RIE are verified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an optical microscope (OM). A selective high-dielectric constant insulator, niobium oxide (NbOx), is directly deposited on the unpolished side of the thin Si substrate as the sensing membrane of a LAPS by reactive ratio frequency (rf) sputtering. A high photocurrent was found in the ICP-RIE LAPS sample under back-side illumination, particularly in high-frequency operation. Compared to an Si substrate without ICP-RIE, 3-fold and 6.5-fold higher photocurrents were achieved by the proposed LAPS with ICP-RIE measured at 1 and 50 kHz of light modulated frequency, respectively. The highest modulated frequency of illumination was 50 kHz for an acceptable photocurrent in the LAPS with ICP-RIE, which is sufficient for two-dimensional (2D) images acquired with high-speed scanning. The NbOx layer deposited on the unpolished Si surface could automatically generate higher pH sensitivity than conventional polished Si surfaces because of the higher surface roughness. The calculated pH sensitivity and linearity were 55.8 mV/pH and 99.6%, respectively, in a pH range from 2 to 12. No clear degradation of hysteresis was found for the LAPS with ICP-RIE. For the designed patterns of the Al hard mask layer, the spatial resolution of the 2D image of the LAPS with ICP-RIE could be obtained by the difference between dimensions observed by OM and the dimensions calculated from the photocurrent versus scanning length controlled by the X-Y stage. A pattern with a length of 250 μm generated by ICP-RIE was measured as 255 μm in the LAPS with scanning step of 5 μm. ICP-RIE is demonstrated to achieve a spatial resolution of 5 μm in the Si-based LAPS. Further reduction of the thickness of an Si substrate by ICP-RIE controlling and its ability to create a dynamic 2D image are suggested for future investigation in spatial resolution optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microfabricated separation column designed for ultimate use in a wearable gas chromatographic micro-analytical system (μGC) for analyzing mixtures of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOC) is described. The monolithic μcolumn chip measures 7.1 × 2.7 × 0.075 cm and contains a 6-m long, 250 × 140 μm deep-reactive-ion-etched Si channel with a Pyrex cap, wall-coated with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stationary phase. Along the channel are three serial 2-m long spiral segments, each with an independent integrated resistive heater and thermal isolation features etched in the substrate. By turning the segment heaters on and off at strategic points during a separation, significant energy savings could be realized relative to heating the entire chip simultaneously (i.e., globally), with no loss in chromatographic resolution. A classical lumped element model was used as the basis for simulations of energy consumption, and a published band trajectory model was used to estimate analyte residence times in each segment. Four simple mixtures of volatile organic chemicals were used to evaluate the models and assess the energy consumed for zone heating and global heating under isothermal and temperature-ramped conditions. Modeled reductions in the required energy per analysis using zone (vs. global) heating ranged from 14 to 31% among the cases considered, depending on the heating profile (i.e., isothermal or ramped), heating schedule, and the retention times of the analytes in the mixture. Modeled energy reductions tended to underestimate experimental reductions, but differed by <2% in all cases considered. This approach to μcolumn design and operation shows promise for extending battery life in wearable μGC instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review reports the progress on the recent development of manufacturing methods of nanochannels of bio-nanofluidic chips. Various manufacturing methods including reactive ion etching, high energy beam processing method, interference lithography, nanoimprinting, thin film deposition processing technology, hot embossing, stress release processing technology, molecular self-assembly processing technology, PDMS deformation processing and biofabrication of nanochannels are illustrated and discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of each manufacturing methods are expatiated. A variety of bio-nanofluidic chips fabricated with different manufacturing methods are also expounded and analyzed. This paper will provide a particularly convenient and valuable reference to those who intend to research the fabrication of bio-nanofluidic chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the mechanisms of deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon have been reported extensively, very little by comparison has been discussed concerning DRIE of germanium. By directly comparing silicon and germanium etching in a time multiplexed DRIE process, the authors extract significant differences in etch mechanisms from a design of experiment and discuss how these differences are relevant to the design and fabrication of silicon and germanium collimating channel array x-ray optics. The differences are illuminated by characteristics such as reactive ion etching (RIE)-lag, aspect ratio dependent etching, and sidewall passivation. Specifically, the authors demonstrate the more severe nature of RIE-lag in germanium, especially at aspect ratios exceeding 13:1. In addition, the differences in the profile evolution between silicon and germanium are shown to be a result of differences in sidewall passivation. There is also a correlation between the different sidewall passivation and the inherent lack of scalloping in the case of germanium DRIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel optically-rough and physically-flat transparent conductive oxides (TCO) substrates were developed by spin-coating Al doped Zn 1−x Mg x O (AZMO) transparent conductive thin film on roughened glass substrates treated by a reactive-ion etching (RIE) process, for enhancing the light-absorption in superstrate-type solar cells without deteriorating growth of photoactive layers. These substrates possess features of high transmittance, low surface roughness and strong light-scattering behavior. A surface morphology of randomly distributed irregular cones was formed on the Corning 7059 glass substrate through the overlapping of several lens-shaped cavities etched by the carbon tetrafluoride-oxygen plasma during the RIE process. This rough interface morphology not only has light-scattering ability, but also shows an antireflection effect at the interface between the AZMO and RIE etched glass substrate. One prototype with 40 cycles AZMO coating on a RIE etched substrate showed a root-mean-square surface roughness of 4.6 nm, a sheet resistance of 75.1 Ω/sq, and a haze ratio in transmission of 12.2% at the wavelength of 700 nm. These TCO substrates were applied to the front electrode of superstrate-type hydrogenated amorphous Si single junction solar cells. The solar cells exhibited a current gain of 11% and an efficiency gain of 14% as well as similar open-circuit voltage and fill factor with respect to the ones deposited on the AZMO coated flat glass substrate. These substrates would enable an efficient light management and the growth of high quality photoactive materials simultaneously for superstrate-type thin-film solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]