Wide bandgap semiconductors have expanded the scope of device applications beyond those of silicon and gallium arsenide. Exploitation of wide bandgap semiconductors holds promise for revolutionary improvements in the cost, size, weight and performance of a broad range of military and commercial microelectronic and opto-electronic systems. The inherent material properties of silicon carbide, gal...

A monolithic photonic microcantilever device is presented comprising silicon light sources and detectors self-aligned to suspended silicon nitride waveguides all integrated into the same silicon chip. A silicon nitride waveguide optically links a silicon light emitting diode to a detector. Then, the optocoupler releases a localized formation of resist-silicon nitride cantilevers through e-beam ...

Multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) reinforced silicon nitride ceramics matrix composites have been prepared. The hot isostatic press (HIP)-sintering method was used for composite processing. Bending strength and elastic modulus of MWNT-silicon nitride composites showed a considerable improvement compared to matrices with added carbon fiber, carbon black or graphite. However, the silicon nitride s...

The microstructure and phase composition of the high-content Al2O3-Y2O3-doped spark plasma-sintered silicon nitride were investigated. Fully dense silicon nitride ceramics with a typical α-Si3N4 equiaxed structure with average grain size from 200 to 530 nm, high elastic modulus of 288 GPa, and high hardness of 2038 HV were spark plasma sintered (SPSed) at 1550 °C. Silicon nitride with elongated...

An equilibrium Y-Si-0-N melt was infiltrated to eliminate the open porosity of reaction-bonded silicon nitride at 16001800°C. This oxynitride melt contained two equilibrium phases, a P-Si,N, solid phase and a liquid phase at high temperatures. Before infiltration, porous reaction-bonded silicon nitride compacts were heat-treated to completely transform to the P-Si3N, phase. After infiltration, ...

Interaction of silica and silicon nitride with polyurethane surfaces is rather poorly studied despite being of great interest for modern semiconductor industry, e.g., for chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) processes. Here we show the results from the application of the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique to study the forces between silica or silicon nitride (AFM tips) and polyurethane ...

By comparing the etching characteristics of silicon and silicon nitride in CF4 /O2 /N2 microwave downstream plasmas we demonstrate clearly how low concentrations of energetic species can play a dominant role in remote plasma processing: Injection of 5% N2 to a CF4 /O2 plasma increases the silicon nitride etch rate by a factor of 7, while not significantly affecting the bulk composition of the d...

We have performed a comprehensive study into low temperature ( 500 °C) internal gettering in multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si). Two groups of as-grown mc-Si wafers from different ingot height positions were subjected to the same thermal treatments with surface passivation by either silicon nitride (SiNx:H) or a temporary iodine-ethanol (I-E) chemical solution . With either passivation scheme, l...

We have demonstrated a new PEDAL process to make sub-25 nm nanowires template across the entire Silicon (110) wafer suitable for wafer-scale nanoimprinting. The “PEDAL lift-off” has the ability to fabricate metal nanowires directly on the wafers without using nanoimprint techniques. The process involves defining the edge by etching a trench, patterned using conventional i-line lithography, and ...

We demonstrate the use of copolymer micelle lithography using polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) reverse micelle thin films in their as-coated form to create nanopillars with tunable dimensions and spacing, on different substrates such as silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride and quartz. The promise of the approach as a versatile application oriented platform is highlighted by demonstrat...