The wavelength selective linear absorption in communication C-band is investigated in CMOS-processed PECVD silicon nitride rings. In the overcoupled region, the linear absorption loss lowers the on-resonance transmission of a ring resonator and increases its overall quality factor. Both the linear absorption and ring quality factor are maximized near 1520 nm. The direct heating by phonon absorp...

Silver films of 40 nm thickness, evaporated on a 300 nm thick low-stress silicon nitride layer, are used as high-quality mirrors operating in the visible and near IR spectral range. Using a silicon nitride membrane under tension, within a square Si frame after bulk micromachining, improves the initial mirror flatness. Two parallel mirrors, with square aperture of up to 2x2 mm and an electrostat...

We report on the fabrication and characterization of gold nanoelectrodes with carefully controlled nanometer dimensions in a matrix of insulating silicon nitride. A focused electron beam was employed to drill nanopores in a thin silicon nitride membrane. The size and shape of the nanopores were studied with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron-energy-loss two-dimensiona...

We present an electron energy loss study using energy filtered TEM of spatially resolved surface plasmon excitations on a silver nanorod of aspect ratio 14.2 resting on a 30 nm thick silicon nitride membrane. Our results show that the excitation is quantized as resonant modes whose intensity maxima vary along the nanorod's length and whose wavelength becomes compressed towards the ends of the n...

Silicon nitride stress capping layer is an industry proven technique for increasing electron mobility and drive currents in n-channel silicon MOSFETs. Herein, the strain induced by silicon nitride is firstly characterized through the changes in photoluminescence and Raman spectra of a bare bilayer MoS2 (Molybdenum disulfide). To make an analogy of the strain-gated silicon MOSFET, strain is exer...

Graphene nanopores are receiving great attention due to their atomically thin membranes and intrinsic electrical properties that appear greatly beneficial for biosensing and DNA sequencing. Here, we present an extensive study of the low-frequency 1/f noise in the ionic current through graphene nanopores and compare it to noise levels in silicon nitride pore currents. We find that the 1/f noise ...

We demonstrate passive large-scale nanophotonic phased arrays in a CMOS-compatible silicon photonic platform. Silicon nitride waveguides are used to allow for higher input power and lower phase variation compared to a silicon-based distribution network. A phased array at an infrared wavelength of 1550 nm is demonstrated with an ultra-large aperture size of 4  mm×4  mm, achieving a record small ...

This article explores, through experiments and finite element analysis, the ability to plastically deform thin-film semiconductor structures on deformable substrates to spherical cap shapes without cracking the semiconductor layers. The major challenge involves contending with the large strain due to extreme deformation that will crack uniform stiff layers, such as silicon or silicon nitride. B...

Lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia was covalently immobilized on crystalline silicon, porous silicon and silicon nitride surfaces. The various stages of immobilization were characterized using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy. The surface topography of the enzyme immobilized surfaces was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The quantity of the immobilized active enz...

Deep ultra-violet semiconductor lasers have numerous applications for optical storage and biochemistry. Many strategies based on nitride heterostructures and adapted substrates have been investigated to develop efficient active layers in this spectral range, starting with AlGaN quantum wells on AlN substrates and more recently sapphire and SiC substrates. Here we report an efficient and simple ...