Three-dimensional simulation of sacrificial etching

Johann Cervenka; Hajdin Ceric; Siegfried Selberherr

doi:10.1117/12.721979

15 May 2007 Three-dimensional simulation of sacrificial etching

Johann Cervenka, Hajdin Ceric, Siegfried Selberherr

Proceedings Volume 6589, Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS III; 65891L (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.721979
Event: Microtechnologies for the New Millennium, 2007, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain

Abstract

Sacrificial etching is one of the most important process steps in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, since it enables the generation of free-standing structures. These structures are often the main part of micro-mechanical devices, intended to sense or induce a mechanical movement. The etching process transforms an initial multi-segmented geometry and depends on material properties and several process conditions. One of the crucial issues for etching is the etching selectivity on different materials. The major task for the simulation is to give an answer, how sacrificial layer surfaces regress in time under the influence of process parameters and to which magnitude surrounding material segments are affected by the etching process. For this purpose we have developed a full three-dimensional topography simulation tool, Etcher-Topo3D, which is capable to deal with realistic process conditions. The main concept is demonstrated in this work. During simulation the topography of the initial multi- segment geometry is changed which is handled by a level-set algorithm. After a simulation is finished, the level-set representation has usually to be converted back to a mesh representation to enable further analysis. For illustrating the main features of our simulation tool several examples of a MEMS structure with a sacrificial layer are presented.

Citation Download Citation

Johann Cervenka, Hajdin Ceric, and Siegfried Selberherr "Three-dimensional simulation of sacrificial etching", Proc. SPIE 6589, Smart Sensors, Actuators, and MEMS III, 65891L (15 May 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.721979

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KEYWORDS

Etching

Interfaces

Microelectromechanical systems

Silicon

Diffusion

HF etching

Chemical reactions

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