Hello Barry:

I don't think removing the oxide will work - you have to prevent it from
forming. If you are interested in changing your MEMS manufacturer, we at IMT
have some proprietary techniques that I think would solve your problem.
Contact me off-line if you would like to discuss this further.

Regards= Monte

Barry Chen wrote:
>Message: 1
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 12:07:31 -0500
Subject: [mems-talk] Al oxide removal
Reply-To: [email protected]

Dear MEMS coworkers,

We currently utilize foundry service to fabricate our MEMS platform, and we
functionalize the platform by coating a proprietary material. The existing
platform design calls for, fresh out of foundry, a SiO2 top layer with
contact openings to the underlying Al.

The issue we run into is that the exposed Al is easily oxidized and the
contact resistance varies from sample to sample. We have tried using
chemistry removing the aluminum oxide layer prior to functionalization. Yet
the oxidation happens so rapidly that a  thin insulating oxide is formed
between sample transfer (in air), so we alleviated but not eliminated the
reproducibility difficulty.

I appreciate any insights.

Regards,

Barry Chen




  Monteith G. Heaton
VP Marketing and Sales



Innovative Micro Technology
75 Robin Hill Road * Santa Barbara, CA  93117
Ph:  805-681-2852 * Fx:  805-967-2677
[email protected]   * www.imtmems.com

_________________________________________
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