Vapor phase XeF{sub 2} has been used in the fabrication of various types of devices including MEMS, resonators, RF switches, and micro-fluidics, and for wafer level packaging. In this presentation we demonstrate the use of XeF{sub 2} Si etch in conjunction with deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) to release single crystal Si structures on Silicon On Insulator (SOI) wafers. XeF{sub 2} vapor phase etching is conducive to the release of movable SOI structures due to the isotropy of the etch, the high etch selectivity to silicon dioxide (SiO{sub 2}) and fluorocarbon (FC) polymer etch masks, and the ability to undercut large structures at high rates. Also, since XeF{sub 2} etching is a vapor phase process, stiction problems often associated with wet chemical release processes are avoided. Monolithic single crystal Si features were fabricated by etching continuous trenches in the device layer of an SOI wafer using a DRIE process optimized to stop on the buried SiO{sub 2}. The buried SiO{sub 2} was then etched to handle Si using an anisotropic plasma etch process. The sidewalls of the device Si features were then protected with a conformal passivation layer of either FC polymer or SiO{sub 2}. FC polymer was deposited frommore » C4F8 gas precursor in an inductively coupled plasma reactor, and SiO{sub 2} was deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). A relatively high ion energy, directional reactive ion etch (RIE) plasma was used to remove the passivation film on surfaces normal to the direction of the ions while leaving the sidewall passivation intact. After the bottom of the trench was cleared to the underlying Si handle wafer, XeF{sub 2} was used to isotropically etch the handle Si, thus undercutting and releasing the features patterned in the device Si layer. The released device Si structures were not etched by the XeF{sub 2} due to protection from the top SiO{sub 2} mask, sidewall passivation, and the buried SiO{sub 2} layer. Optimization of the XeF{sub 2} process and the sidewall passivation layers will be discussed. The advantages of releasing SOI devices with XeF{sub 2} include avoiding stiction, maintaining the integrity of the buried SiO{sub 2}, and simplifying the fabrication flow for thermally actuated devices.« less

A 6-b radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) time-delay circuit operating from dc to 10 GHz with 393.75-ps total time delay is presented. The circuit is fabricated on 250-μm-thick alumina and uses metal contacting RF MEMS switches to realize series-shunt SP4T switching networks. The circuit demonstrates 1.8+/-0.6 dB of loss at 10 GHz and has linear phase response across the enti...

A switched Ku-band filter bank has been developed using two single-pole triple-throw (SP3T) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switching networks, and three fixed three-pole end-coupled bandpass filters. A tuning range of 17.7% from 14.9 to 17.8 GHz was achieved with a fractional bandwidth of 7.7 /spl plusmn/2.9%, and mid-band insertion loss ranging from 1.7 to 2.0 dB.

Radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) are key enabling technologies for miniature reconfigurable circuits such as microwave filters. We present a two-pole monolithic RF MEMS switched filter, fabricated on GaAs, that employs surface-micromachined capacitors to present a variable capacitance to a coupled coplanar strip filter, thereby switching the filter center frequency 37% between 10.7 GHz and 15.5 GHz with voltages of 20 and 0 V, respectively. This 15% bandwidth filter occupies a chip area of 2.2 /spl times/1.5 mm and demonstrates less than 2-dB of loss, making it promising for numerous applications within these critical frequency bands.

We have fabricated and characterized radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) ohmic switches for applications in discrete tunable filters and phase shifters over a frequency range of 0 to 20 GHz. Our previously reported cantilever switches have been redesigned for higher isolation and are now achieving 22 dB of isolation at 10 GHz. The measured insertion loss is 0.15 dB at 10 GHz. We have also fabricated and characterized new devices, designated “crab” switches, to increase isolation and contact forces relative to the cantilever design. The measured insertion loss and isolation are 0.1 dB per switch at 20 GHz and 22 dB at 10 GHz, respectively. A simple and accurate equivalent model has been developed, consisting of a transmission line segment and either a series capacitor to represent the blocking state or a series resistor to represent the passing state. Experimental analysis of the switch shows that high contact and substrate capacitive coupling degrades the isolation performance. Simulations indicate that the isolation improves to 30 dB at 10 GHz by reducing these capacitances. The crab switch design has a measured contact force of 120 μN, which represents a factor of four increase over the cantilever switch contact force and results in consistent, low-loss performance.

We have fabricated and tested a surface micromachined, metal-metal contacting radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) switch. The switch was fabricated out of electroplated metals on semi-insulating GaAs at process temperatures below 300°C. It was anchored by folded springs to one end of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) gap, forming a cantilever. This configuration allowed us to simplify the fabrication process by eliminating mechanical dielectric films that are normally necessary to isolate the switch contact from the actuation metal. The measured insertion loss and isolation at S band were 0.21 dB and 28 dB isolation, respectively. An average switching speed of 83 μs at 55 volts was measured. This switch demonstrated >105 cold switching cycles without sticking, however rapid increase of the contact resistance was observed. A new switch was designed to increase isolation and reduce insertion loss by decreasing the coupling capacitance and increasing the contact force.

The application need for and specification of RF micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) switches are discussed. The design, low temperature processing, and RF characteristics of a coplanar waveguide MEMs switch are presented. This switch can be integrated onto previously fabricated MMICs or transistor chips. These switches demonstrate 0.2 dB loss while in the "on" state (closed), need approximately 10 volts to operate, and can carry more than 200 mW RF.

Improved characterization and process control is important to many Sandia and DOE programs related to manufacturing. Many processes/structures are currently under-characterized including thin film growth, corrosion and semiconductor structures, such as implant profiles. A sensitive tool is required that is able to provide lateral and vertical imaging of the electromagnetic properties of a sample. The confocal resonator is able to characterize the surface and near-surface impedance of materials. This device may be applied to a broad range of applications including in situ evaluation of thin film processes, physical defect detection/characterization, the characterization of semiconductor devices and corrosion studies. In all of these cases, the technology should work as a real-time process diagnostic or as a feedback mechanism regarding the quality of a manufacturing process. This report summarizes the development and exploration of several diagnostic applications.

Optically activated GaAs switches operated in their high-gain mode are being used or tested for pulsed power applications as diverse as low-impedance, high-current firing sets in munitions; high impedance, low-current Pockels cell or Q-switch drivers for lasers; high-voltage drivers for laser diode arrays; high-voltage, high-current, compact accelerators; and pulsers for ground penetrating radar. This paper will describe the properties of high-gain photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS), and how they are used in a variety of pulsed power applications. For firing sets, we have switched up to 7 kA in a very compact package. For driving Q switches, the load is the small (30 pF) capacitance of the Q switch which is charged to 6 kV. We have demonstrated that we can modulate a laser beam with a subnanosecond rise time. Using PCSS, we have demonstrated gain switching a series-connected laser diode array, obtaining an optical output with a peak power of 50 kW and a pulse duration of 100 ps. For accelerators, we are using PCSS to switch a 260 kV, 60 kA Blumlein. A pulser suitable for use in ground-penetrating radar has been demonstrated at 100 kV, 1.3 kA. This paper will describe the specific project requirements and switch parameters in all of these applications, and emphasize the switch research and development that is being pursued to address the important issues.

This paper presents results from three areas of GaAs PCSS research and development: device lifetime, high current switching, and PCSS-driven laser diode arrays (LDA). We have performed device lifetime tests on both lateral and vertical switches as a function of current amplitude, pulse width, and charging time. At present, our longest-lived switch reached 4 X 106 pulses. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show damage near the contacts even after only 5 pulses. We are presently searching for the threshold at which no damage is evident after a single shot. In high current tests, we have reached 5.2 kA at 4.2 kV. This was achieved using twenty fiber-optic coupled lasers to distribute current filaments over a 5 mm wide PCSS. Current waveforms and images of the current filaments as a function of current amplitude will be presented. The lasers used to trigger the high current PCSS were driven with a miniature PCSS. Low inductance, high speed GaAs PCSS are very effective as short pulse laser diode array drivers. Some types of arrays gain switch, producing a compressed optical pulse which is only 57 ps wide. Results from tests with a variety of laser diode arrays will be presented.

This report summarizes work on the development of ultra-high-speed semiconductor optical and electronic devices. High-speed operation is achieved by velocity matching the input stimulus to the output signal along the device`s length. Electronic devices such as field-effect transistors (FET`s), should experience significant speed increases by velocity matching the electrical input and output signals along the device. Likewise, optical devices, which are typically large, can obtain significant bandwidths by velocity matching the light being generated, detected or modulated with the electrical signal on the device`s electrodes. The devices discussed in this report utilize truly distributed electrical design based on slow-wave propagation to achieve velocity matching.

Shift registers have been demonstrated in YBaCuO operating at 77 K using from 64 to over 1600 junctions. These are some of the larger scale integrated circuits demonstrated to date using YBaCuO Josephson technology. The circuit is a modified rapid single flux quantum design in which a single trigger pulse causes a one bit shift of the entire word of 32-512 b in length. Two different junction technologies, electron-beam defined nanobridges and epitaxial edge junctions, have been used with parameter spreads ranging from 11% to 22%. Correct operation has been verified with low speed random word tests and circulating data tests while pseudo random bit sequence demonstrations are underway. A practical amount of time to shift between cells has been measured to be about 10 ps.

A novel super-conducting slow-wave transmission line has been prepared by overlaying a superconducting coplanar waveguide with normal metal crossbars. The crossbars increase the energy storage along the transmission line, reducing the line's group velocity allowing for shorter delay lines. Additionally, the cross-sectional dimensions of the line are smaller than typical transmission line structures, allowing for a further reduction of delay line size. Measurements show a group velocity of about 0.12 the speed of light with low dispersion, a 25 OMEGA characteristic impedance, and moderate transmission loss. Because the group velocity is largely independent of any properties of the superconductor, these transmission lines exhibit excellent temperature stability and delay reproducibility.

A straightforward method for nanometer-scale patterning of high-Tc superconductor thin films is discussed. The technique combines direct-write electron beam lithography with well-controlled aqueous etches and is applied to the fabrication of Josephson junction nanobridges in high-quality, epitaxial thin-film YBa2Cu3O7. We present the results of our studies of the dimensions, yield, uniformity, and mechanism of the junctions along with the performance of a representative digital circuit based on these junctions. Direct current junction parameter statistics measured at 77 K show critical currents of 27.5 μA±13% for a sample set of 220 junctions. The Josephson behavior of the nanobridge is believed to arise from the aggregation of oxygen vacancies in the nanometer-scale bridge.

We report a new approach to tunnel junctions that employs a pseudomorphic GaAsSb layer to obtain a band alignment at a InGaAs or InAlAs p-n junction favorable for forward bias tunneling. Since the majority of the band offset between GaAsSb and InGaAs or InAlAs is in the valence band, when an GaAsSb layer is placed at an InGaAs or InAlAs p-n junction the tunneling distance is reduced and the tunneling current is increased. For all doping levels studied, the presence of the GaAsSb-layer enhanced the forward tunneling characteristics. In fact, in a InGaAs/GaAsSb tunnel diode with p=1.5/spl times/10/sup 18/ cm/sup -3/ a peak tunneling current sufficient for a 1000 sun InP/InGaAs tandem solar cell interconnect was achieved while a similarly doped all-InGaAs diode was rectifying. This approach affords a new degree of freedom in designing tunnel junctions for tandem solar cell interconnects. Previously only doping levels could be varied to control the tunneling properties. Our approach relaxes the doping requirements by employing a GaAsSb-based heterojunction.