Buckling Porous SiC Membranes

Abstract

In preliminary studies it could be shown that single crystalline silicon carbide wafers can be porosified with metal assisted photochemical etching. Furthermore, the generation of porous areas which are locally defined is possible with this method. By adjusting the etching parameters, a highly porous layer (degree of porosity of 90%) can be formed which is under-etched by a line of breakage. By depositing a compressively stressed amorphous SiC:H thin film on top of a porous region, the a-SiC:H film can be locally separated from the substrate, resulting in a buckled membrane configuration. Such membranes might open up potential applications in MEMS design concepts.

Keywords

• metal assisted photochemical etching
• porous silicon carbide
• buckled a-SiC:H membrane