Wafer Scale Nanomembrane Supported on a Silicon Microsieve

⎯ A new micromachining method to fabricate wafer scale, atomically smooth nano-membranes is described. The delicate membrane is supported on a robust silicon microsieve fabricated by plasma etching. The supporting sieve is micromachined independently of the nano-membrane, which is later fusion bonded to it. The transferred thin-film membrane can be dense, porous or perforated according to the application desired. One of the main application areas for such membranes is in fluidics, where the small thickness and high strength of the supported nano-membranes is a big advantage. The novel method described enables to easily up-scale and interface micro or nano-membranes to the macro-world.