Piezoresistivity characterization of silicon nanowires through monolithic MEMS

TY - GEN

T1 - Piezoresistivity characterization of silicon nanowires through monolithic MEMS

AU - Esfahani, Mohammad Nasr

AU - Leblebici, Yusuf

AU - Alaca, B. Erdem

N1 - Funding Information: ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the support by Tubitak under grant no. 112E058. MNE was supported in part by the Swiss Government Excellence Grant. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 IEEE.

PY - 2017/8/29

Y1 - 2017/8/29

N2 - This paper presents a monolithic approach for the integration of silicon nanowires (Si NWs) with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The process is demonstrated for the case of co-fabrication of Si NWs with a 10-μm-Thick MEMS on the same silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. MEMS is designed in the form of a characterization platform with an electrostatic actuator and a mechanical amplifier spanned by a single Si NW. This integrated platform is utilized for the successful measurement of Si NW piezoresistive gauge factor (GF) under a uniform uniaxial stress. Available techniques in this field include: i) Indirect (substrate) or direct (actuator) bending of Si NW necessitating rigorous models for the conversion of load to stress, ii) nanomanipulation and attachment of Si NW on MEMS, a non-monolithic technique posing residual stress and alignment issues, and iii) heterogeneous integration with separate Si layers for Si NW and MEMS, where a single SOI is not sufficient for the end product. Providing a monolithic solution to the integration of micro and nanoscale components, the presented technique successfully addresses the shortcomings of similar studies. In addition to providing a solution for electromechanical characterization, the technique also sets forth a promising pathway for multiscale, functional devices produced in a batch-compatible fashion, as it facilitates co-fabrication within the same Si crystal.

AB - This paper presents a monolithic approach for the integration of silicon nanowires (Si NWs) with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The process is demonstrated for the case of co-fabrication of Si NWs with a 10-μm-Thick MEMS on the same silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. MEMS is designed in the form of a characterization platform with an electrostatic actuator and a mechanical amplifier spanned by a single Si NW. This integrated platform is utilized for the successful measurement of Si NW piezoresistive gauge factor (GF) under a uniform uniaxial stress. Available techniques in this field include: i) Indirect (substrate) or direct (actuator) bending of Si NW necessitating rigorous models for the conversion of load to stress, ii) nanomanipulation and attachment of Si NW on MEMS, a non-monolithic technique posing residual stress and alignment issues, and iii) heterogeneous integration with separate Si layers for Si NW and MEMS, where a single SOI is not sufficient for the end product. Providing a monolithic solution to the integration of micro and nanoscale components, the presented technique successfully addresses the shortcomings of similar studies. In addition to providing a solution for electromechanical characterization, the technique also sets forth a promising pathway for multiscale, functional devices produced in a batch-compatible fashion, as it facilitates co-fabrication within the same Si crystal.

KW - Gauge Factor

KW - Monolithic Integration

KW - Piezoresistivity

KW - Silicon Nanowire

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030843009&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/NEMS.2017.8016978

DO - 10.1109/NEMS.2017.8016978

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85030843009

T3 - 2017 IEEE 12th International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular Systems, NEMS 2017

SP - 77

EP - 80

BT - 2017 IEEE 12th International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular Systems, NEMS 2017

PB - IEEE

T2 - 12th IEEE International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular Systems, NEMS 2017

Y2 - 9 April 2017 through 12 April 2017

ER -